A free, plain-English guide to crypto
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency. A cryptocurrency is digital money that lives on a network of computers instead of in a bank. Crypto can be useful. It can also be confusing and risky. We explain the words, the traps, and how it all works, so you can decide for yourself.
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Curious about one coin? See the coin guides → · Or read our Field Guides →
How to read this site
New to crypto?
You don't need to buy anything or open an account to finish these lessons.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency. That means digital money kept on a shared record that many computers look after together. Not everything called crypto works like that. Some are tokens, which are made on top of someone else's network. A stablecoin is a token meant to keep a steady price, usually one US dollar. And if a company holds your coins for you, you are trusting that company.
A blockchain is a shared record of payments. New payments are added in batches, and each batch links to the one before it, like a chain. Bitcoin is a network that keeps one of these records. Its coin is also called bitcoin, with a small b. A token is different. It's made on top of someone else's network.
A wallet is an app or device that holds your secret keys. A key is what lets you send your coins. The coins themselves aren't inside the app. They're written in the shared record.
Most crypto scams rush you, pretend to be customer support, or ask for a secret that nobody should ever need.
You don't have to buy anything. This lesson gives you a short checklist for your first step. If that step ever involves money, use only an amount you could lose without it hurting you.
A useful thing to keep nearby
Print it or save it. Use it before you install a wallet, send money, or answer a message from “support.”
This website will never ask for your wallet keys or your recovery phrase, which is the list of backup words for your wallet.
Pick a goal
basics
What crypto is, how the shared record works, and what the words mean.
See these lessons →safety
Wallets, keys, scams, fake apps, sending on the wrong network, and mistakes you can't undo.
See these lessons →markets
Why prices jump, what a price chart can't tell you, fees, who really holds the coins, and the danger of trading with borrowed money.
See these lessons →technology
How new coins are made, how programs can move money, and why moving coins between networks adds risk.
See these lessons →Look up a coin
Prices can change fast. Understanding what you're looking at takes longer. Start with the guide.
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Why people use Full Time Crypto
If a beginner can't explain it back, the lesson isn't finished.
We keep facts and opinions apart. We welcome corrections.
It’s OK to decide “not yet” or “not for me.” That still counts as learning.