Start here · No jargon

What is a blockchain?

A blockchain is a shared record book that thousands of computers keep in sync, with no bank or company in charge. It's how crypto moves value across the internet: openly, securely, and without asking anyone's permission.

2009First blockchain (Bitcoin)
20+Chains in Zypto App
24/7Always on, worldwide
The simple version

A record book no one can secretly change.

Imagine a shared spreadsheet of who owns what. Instead of one bank keeping it, thousands of computers each hold an identical copy. To add a new line, most of them have to agree it's valid, and once it's written, it can't be quietly edited. That shared, agreed, permanent record is a blockchain.

It's a ledger

A running list of every transaction, grouped into blocks. New blocks link to the last one, forming a chain back to the very first.

It's shared

Copies live on computers (nodes) all over the world. No single company owns it or can switch it off, it's decentralized.

It's secure

Maths (cryptography) and group agreement (consensus) make records practically impossible to fake or reverse.

It's open

Anyone, anywhere can check it or use it, no application, no permission, no opening hours. It runs 24/7.

Jinsi inavyofanya kazi

From “send” to settled, step by step.

When you send crypto, no bank approves it. Instead the network checks and records it together. Here's the journey of a single transaction.

1 · You sign Your wallet signs the payment with a secret private key, proving it's really you.
2 · Broadcast It's sent to the network and waits in a pool with everyone else's transactions.
3 · Validated Miners or validators check it's valid and agree to include it (consensus).
4 · Added forever It's written into a block and chained on, permanent and public.
Everyone holds the same copy

When a new block is added, every node updates its copy. To cheat, you'd have to fool a majority of them at once, across the whole world, all at the same time.

How the network agrees: consensus

“Consensus” is just the rule for deciding who gets to add the next block, and it's what keeps the whole thing honest without a boss. Two main approaches power most chains:

Proof of Work
Bitcoin · Dogecoin

Computers race to solve a hard puzzle, spending electricity. The winner adds the block.

  • Battle-tested security
  • Energy-intensive by design
Proof of Stake
Ethereum · Solana

Validators lock up coins as a bond and take turns. Cheating costs them their stake.

  • ~99% less energy
  • Earn rewards by staking
Why it can't be faked, try it

Each block carries a fingerprint (a hash) of its contents, and every block includes the one before it. Change anything, even one character, and its fingerprint changes, breaking every block after it. Edit a block below and watch the chain break.

Block 1Valid
Data
Hash
0x8f3a1c…
Block 2Valid
Data
Hash
0x2d77e0…
Block 3Valid
Data
Hash
0xb1908a…

The chain is valid. Every block's fingerprint matches the next. Try editing any block's data.

Types of blockchains

Not all chains are the same.

Chains differ in two big ways: which layer they sit at, and what they're built for. Understanding both makes it easy to tell why Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Arbitrum feel so different.

Layer 1 · base chains

The foundation

A Layer 1 secures itself and settles its own transactions, the bedrock everything else builds on. Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana are all L1s, each with its own security and rules.

Layer 1, secures & settles itself e.g. Ethereum
Layer 2 · scaling on top

The fast lane

A Layer 2 runs on top of an L1 to make it faster and cheaper, then posts results back down for security. Arbitrum, Optimism and Base are L2s that settle to Ethereum.

Layer 2, cheap & fast e.g. Arbitrum
settles down to Layer 1 security root

Digital money

Built first and foremost to store and move value, scarce, secure, simple. The “digital gold” category.

Explore Bitcoin

Smart-contract platforms

General-purpose chains that run programs, the home of DeFi, stablecoins, NFTs and most tokens.

Explore Ethereum

High-performance L1s

Chains tuned for raw speed and low fees, built for consumer-scale apps, payments and trading.

Explore Solana

Layer 2 rollups

Scale an existing L1 to cent-level fees while inheriting its security, most everyday Ethereum activity lives here.

Explore Arbitrum
Consensus models

How a network agrees, without a boss.

“Consensus” is the rulebook for who gets to add the next block and how everyone agrees it's valid. It's the heart of what makes a blockchain trustworthy. Here are the main approaches, and the chains that use them.

PoW
Proof of Work

Computers race to solve a hard puzzle, spending real electricity. The winner adds the block, rewriting history would cost a fortune.

EnergyHigh by design
Secured byComputing power
PoS
Proof of Stake

Validators lock up coins as a bond and take turns adding blocks. Honest work earns rewards; cheating burns the stake.

Energy~99% lower
Secured byStaked value
PoH + PoS
Proof of History

A cryptographic “clock” timestamps events before consensus, so validators don't waste time agreeing on order, enabling huge speed.

EnergyLow
Secured byStaked value
ROLLUP
Inherited security

Layer 2s don't secure themselves, they post data and proofs to an L1 and borrow its security, settling disputes there.

EnergyMinimal
Secured byEthereum L1
Why it matters

What this unlocks.

Removing the middleman isn't just a technical trick, it changes who's in control. Here's why people build on and use blockchains.

You own it

With a self-custodial wallet, your coins are yours, no bank can freeze, block or seize them. Your keys, your crypto.

Borderless & instant

Send value across borders in minutes, or seconds, without intermediaries or waiting for business hours.

Transparent

Anyone can audit the ledger and verify the rules. Trust comes from open code and maths, not a promise.

Programmable

Smart contracts let money follow rules automatically, powering lending, savings, payments and apps with no bank.

Open to everyone

All you need is a phone. No credit check, no bank account, a path to finance for billions who lack one.

Sound money

Many chains have fixed or predictable supply written in code, no one can print more on a whim.

Explore the chains

Now meet the blockchains.

Every chain makes different trade-offs between speed, cost, security and what you can build. Dive into any one for a plain-English profile of how it works and what it's used for.

New to this? Start with Bitcoin (digital money) or Ethereum (smart contracts), each page explains the chain in plain English, then links you to its live prices and wallet.
BitcoinLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Kazi EthereumLayer 1 · Mikataba ya akili SolanaLayer 1 · Kasi ya juu ArbitrumLayer 2 · Rollup XRP LedgerLayer 1 · Malipo BNB ChainLayer 1 · EVM PolygonLayer 2 · EVM AvalancheLayer 1 · Subnets OptimismLayer 2 · Rollup BaseLayer 2 · Rollup TRONLayer 1 · DPoS StellarLayer 1 · Malipo DashLayer 1 · Malipo HiveLayer 1 · DPoS ya kijamii ElectroneumLayer 1 · Simu AlgorandLayer 1 · PoS safi Pi NetworkLayer 1 · Simu SuiLayer 1 · Mfano wa kitu CardanoLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Hisa LitecoinLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Kazi PolkadotLayer 0 · Mnyororo wa relay NEARLayer 1 · PoS iliyogawanywa AptosLayer 1 · Move BFT Gnosis ChainLayer 1 · EVM CronosLayer 1 · EVM / Cosmos MantleLayer 2 · Rollup LineaLayer 2 · ZK Rollup zkSync EraLayer 2 · ZK Rollup StarknetLayer 2 · ZK Rollup CeloLayer 2 · OP Stack SeiLayer 1 · EVM ya sambamba SonicLayer 1 · DAG / BFT UnichainLayer 2 · OP Stack HyperliquidLayer 1 · HyperBFT InjectiveLayer 1 · Cosmos / Tendermint TONLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Hisa TezosLayer 1 · PoS ya Kioevu THORChainLayer 1 · Cosmos / Tendermint KaiaLayer 1 · EVM / IBFT ImmutableLayer 2 · zkEVM (michezo) CelestiaModular · Upatikanaji wa Data FilecoinLayer 1 · Uhifadhi (DePIN) Akash NetworkLayer 1 · Kompyuta ya DePIN HederaLayer 1 · Hashgraph aBFT Cosmos HubLayer 1 · Cosmos SDK / IBC MoneroLayer 1 · Faragha · PoW Bitcoin CashLayer 1 · Malipo · PoW DogecoinLayer 1 · Malipo · PoW Ethereum ClassicLayer 1 · PoW · Mikataba ya akili ZcashLayer 1 · Faragha · PoW Internet ComputerLayer 1 · Funguo ya mnyororo VeChainLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Mamlaka FlowLayer 1 · PoS ya majukumu mengi KaspaLayer 1 · blockDAG · PoW StacksLayer 2 · Bitcoin MinaLayer 1 · zk Succinct FlareLayer 1 · EVM / Data KavaLayer 1 · Cosmos / EVM OsmosisLayer 1 · Cosmos DEX IOTALayer 1 · DAG / Bila ada NeoLayer 1 · Uchumi wa Akili ZilliqaLayer 1 · Iliyogawanywa BerachainLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Kioevu BittensorLayer 1 · AI Iliyosambazwa KusamaLayer 0 · Mnyororo wa relay ya Canary AstarLayer 1 · Kitovu cha dApp cha Polkadot IoTeXLayer 1 · DePIN · EVM OasisLayer 1 · Faragha · EVM ConfluxLayer 1 · PoW na PoS ya Tree-Graph CoreLayer 1 · EVM iliyounganishwa na Bitcoin ZetaChainLayer 1 · Omnichain MultiversXLayer 1 · PoS iliyogawanywa Theta NetworkLayer 1 · Midia na kompyuta RoninLayer 2 · EVM ya michezo Bitcoin SVLayer 1 · Uma wa Bitcoin CasperLayer 1 · Mikataba ya akili ya Uthibitisho wa Hisa ChiaLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa nafasi DecredLayer 1 · Mseto PoW/PoS DigiByteLayer 1 · PoW ya MultiAlgo dYdXLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa Cosmos perp-DEX eCashLayer 1 · Uma wa Bitcoin Cash LiskLayer 2 · OP Stack rollup MantaLayer 2 · OP Stack rollup MANTRALayer 1 · Mnyororo wa Cosmos wa RWA MetisLayer 2 · Ethereum optimistic rollup MovementLayer 2 · Inategemea Move, inalipia kwenye Ethereum NanoLayer 1 · Malipo bila ada NervosLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa kazi QtumLayer 1 · UTXO na EVM RavencoinLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa kazi Secret NetworkLayer 1 · Mikataba ya akili ya faragha SiacoinLayer 1 · Uhifadhi uliposambazwa VaultaLayer 1 · DPoS (ilikuwa EOS) XDC NetworkLayer 1 · EVM ya biashara aelfLayer 1 · Jukwaa la mikataba ya akili ya DPoS ConcordiumLayer 1 · uthibitisho wa hisa wa safu ya utambulisho FluxLayer 1 · Wingu lililosambazwa FogoLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa SVM ICONLayer 1 · Jukwaa la mikataba ya akili ya DPoS IOSTLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Uaminifu KeetaLayer 1 · Mtandao wa malipo wa DAG MegaETHLayer 2 · Rollup ya wakati halisi NockchainLayer 1 · PoW ya Zero-Knowledge OctraLayer 1 · Mtandao wa faragha wa FHE OntologyLayer 1 · Jukwaa la mikataba ya akili la VBFT PlasmaLayer 1 · Malipo ya stablecoin PlumeLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa EVM wa RWA PolymeshLayer 1 · uthibitisho wa hisa wa mali iliyodhibitiwa QuaiLayer 1 · PoW ya minyororo mingi QubicLayer 1 · mnyororo wa AI wa PoW wa manufaa SomniaLayer 1 · Makubaliano ya MultiStream VanaLayer 1 · Data · Uthibitisho wa Hisa VenomLayer 1 · Asynchronous · Uthibitisho wa Hisa WavesLayer 1 · Tokeni na programu maalum WAXLayer 1 · NFTs na michezo ArdorLayer 1 · PoS ya mzazi-mtoto B2 NetworkLayer 2 · Bitcoin ZK rollup Bitkub ChainLayer 1 · Jukwaa la mikataba ya akili ya EVM BOBLayer 2 · OP Stack ya mseto DeSoLayer 1 · PoS ya kijamii HarmonyLayer 1 · EVM iliyogawanywa Merlin ChainLayer 2 · Bitcoin ZK rollup Metal BlockchainLayer 1 · Uma wa Avalanche MimbleWimbleCoinLayer 1 · PoW ya faragha Ozone ChainLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa EVM unaostahimili quantum Quantum Resistant LedgerLayer 1 · PoW ya baada ya quantum SteemLayer 1 · DPoS ya kijamii StratisLayer 1 · EVM ya biashara TaikoLayer 2 · Ethereum ZK rollup Terra ClassicLayer 1 · Cosmos SDK VergeLayer 1 · PoW ya faragha VerusLayer 1 · Uthibitisho wa Nguvu XphereLayer 1 · Jukwaa la EVM la minyororo miwili ZanoLayer 1 · Mseto wa faragha 0GLayer 1 · AI / upatikanaji wa data AcurastLayer 1 · Kompyuta iliyosambazwa AIOZ NetworkLayer 1 · Midia ya DePIN BeldexLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa faragha GravityLayer 2 · Arbitrum Nitro HydrationLayer 1 · Polkadot DeFi parachain IrysLayer 1 · Datachain inayoweza kuprogramiwa MonadLayer 1 · EVM ya sambamba NexusLayer 1 · Fedha inayoweza kuthibitishwa peaqLayer 1 · DePIN PharosLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa EVM RWA SEDALayer 1 · Mtandao wa data wa Oracle XPR NetworkLayer 1 · Mnyororo wa Antelope
Common questions

Still wondering?

Is blockchain the same as cryptocurrency?
No, blockchain is the underlying technology (the shared, secure record book). A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ether is one thing that runs on a blockchain. The same technology also powers stablecoins, NFTs, smart contracts and more.
Who controls a blockchain?
No single person or company. The ledger is copied across thousands of independent computers that follow shared rules. Changes need broad agreement, which is what makes it hard to censor or manipulate.
Je, ni salama?
The networks themselves are extremely secure thanks to cryptography and consensus. The main risk is personal: protecting your wallet's private key. With a self-custodial wallet like Zypto, only you hold it, so back it up and never share it.
Why are there so many blockchains?
Each makes different trade-offs. Bitcoin prioritizes security and sound money; Ethereum prioritizes programmability; Solana prioritizes raw speed; Layer 2s like Arbitrum prioritize low fees. Explore the chains above to see how.
How do I actually use one?
You need a wallet. Zypto App lets you hold, send, swap and spend assets across 20+ blockchains in self-custody, and spend them in the real world with a crypto Visa card. It's the simplest place to go from learning to doing.
Keep learning

Resources & further reading.

Zypto App

From learning to doing.

Hold, swap and spend crypto across 20+ blockchains in one self-custodial app, with a real Visa card for the real world.

Self-custodial · non-custodial · your keys, your coins.
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