The crypto encyclopedia
Crypto, explained without the hype
Crypto Signpost is where crypto starts to make sense: plain-English entries on Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi and stablecoins, how wallets and exchanges really work, and what the law and the taxman expect.
New here? Start with these
- How cryptocurrency worksWhat a cryptocurrency is, how a blockchain works, and the terms worth knowing first.
- Bitcoin in five minutesThe first cryptocurrency: history, the halving, mining, and why supply stops at 21 million.
- Choosing a walletHardware, app or exchange account: where your coins live and how to keep a seed phrase safe.
- Spotting a scamPhishing, fake support, pig butchering and wallet drainers: how the common scams work.
- What the taxman expectsCapital gains, Form 1099-DA and HMRC rules: how crypto is taxed in the US and the UK.
Browse by topic
Cryptocurrencies
The major coins and the projects behind them: history, technology and key numbers.
Technology
How blockchains work and what runs on them: smart contracts, DeFi, NFTs and staking.
In practice
Buying, storing and spending, and where the traps are.
Glossary
From airdrop to wallet: the words you will hear in every crypto conversation.
- Address
- A public identifier you can send crypto to. Comparable to an account number.
- Airdrop
- A free distribution of tokens to certain addresses, often to reward early users. Fake airdrops are a common scam.
- Altcoin
- Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. See altcoins.
- ASIC
- A chip built for a single job, such as bitcoin mining.
- Bear market
- A long stretch of falling prices. The opposite is a bull market.
- Bridge
- A service that moves value between two blockchains. Bridges have suffered some of the largest hacks.
Calculators
Convert satoshis and gwei, work out your average cost. Runs entirely in your browser.
Why Crypto Signpost exists
Look up crypto online and you quickly land on ads, influencers and forums full of promises. We want to be the opposite: a reference that explains instead of sells.