Start Here · Beginner lesson · about 7 minutes
Bitcoin, blockchain, and coins
Bitcoin is one specific network. A blockchain is a shared record. A coin, here, is the native unit of a network (bitcoin, ether), not a token on someone else’s chain.
The short answer
Bitcoin is one specific network and its money. A blockchain is a type of shared record. A coin, in this lesson, is the native unit of a network (bitcoin, ether), distinct from a token on someone else’s chain.
In plain English
A blockchain is a kind of shared record. Bitcoin is one version of that idea, with its own rules, history, and its own money called bitcoin or BTC. Ethereum is a different network with different rules and its own money, called ether or ETH.
A token is created on someone else’s chain instead of having its own. Bitcoin and ether are native units; many other assets are tokens. A wallet can show several of them at once, but that does not make them the same. Sending on the wrong network can make funds hard—or impossible—to get back.
What can go wrong
Read this before you act.
A familiar name, logo, or ticker symbol (like BTC) is not proof that a coin is authentic. Check the network and the receiving service before you send. If you do not understand an extra address they want you to use, wait.
Check your understanding
A few questions. Not a test.
Choose an answer to see why it is right or wrong. Nothing is locked behind a score.
Sources and corrections
This lesson is a starting point. When details matter, read the official pages we link below, and tell us if something needs a correction.