Bitcoin Basics is a plain-English guide to bitcoin for people starting from zero. It is written for readers in the United States, and it assumes nothing: not what a blockchain is, not what a wallet does, not why anyone would want either.
Who it is for
The curious beginner. Someone who has heard about bitcoin for years, maybe from a friend or a headline, and wants to understand it well enough to decide for themselves whether it is worth their time or money. If you already run your own node, you will find the early pages slow; the go-deeper section may still be useful.
Our approach
- We explain, we don’t hype. No price predictions, no countdowns, no promises. Bitcoin is interesting enough without them.
- We say when something is uncertain. Where facts change or experts disagree, we say so and date what we wrote.
- We define every term. The first time a word like “seed phrase” or “mempool” appears on a page, it is explained. There is also a glossary.
- We point to primary sources. Exchange help pages, bitcoin.org, the IRS, the SEC, and company announcements, rather than secondhand summaries.
How the site is funded
Some links to exchanges and services are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That income pays for hosting and the time it takes to keep pages current. It does not decide which services we cover or what we say about them; every review lists the downsides. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Separately, and clearly apart from the bitcoin content, we keep a short page of other offers you might like: sign-up bonuses for unrelated services we use ourselves.
Not advice
Everything here is education, not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Bitcoin’s price is volatile, and you can lose money. Decide for yourself, and for anything that matters, talk to a professional who knows your situation.
Contact
Corrections, questions, and suggestions are welcome. Email d [at] duane.com. We read everything, and we fix mistakes when we find them.
Writing about us or linking to us? The Bitcoin Basics logos are free to use.