[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides":3,"guides-coin-guides":11},[4,8],{"slug":5,"title":6,"updated_at":7},"exchange-safety-checklist","How to Evaluate a Crypto Exchange's Safety","2026-07-01",{"slug":9,"title":10,"updated_at":7},"custodial-vs-non-custodial-wallets-explained","Custodial vs Non-Custodial Wallets Explained",[12,24,35,47,57,66],{"slug":13,"symbol":14,"name":15,"category":16,"risk_level":17,"summary":18,"reasons":19,"glossary_slug":23},"bitcoin","BTC","Bitcoin","Store of value","established","The original cryptocurrency and still the largest by market value, with over fifteen years of continuous operation and no successful attack on its core network.",[20,21,22],"Longest track record of any crypto asset by a wide margin","Most decentralized and battle-tested validator (miner) set","Still far more volatile than traditional stores of value like gold or bonds",null,{"slug":25,"symbol":26,"name":27,"category":28,"risk_level":17,"summary":29,"reasons":30,"glossary_slug":34},"ethereum","ETH","Ethereum","Smart-contract platform","The leading platform for smart contracts and decentralized apps — most of DeFi, NFTs and stablecoin activity runs on it or a network derived from it.",[31,32,33],"Large, active developer ecosystem and the deepest liquidity outside Bitcoin","Moved to proof-of-stake in 2022, cutting its energy use by well over 99%","Network fees can spike sharply during congestion, and smart-contract bugs are a real risk for anything built on top","defi",{"slug":36,"symbol":37,"name":38,"category":39,"risk_level":40,"summary":41,"reasons":42,"glossary_slug":46},"stablecoins","USDT\u002FUSDC","Stablecoins","Stablecoin","issuer-risk","Tokens designed to track the value of a fiat currency, usually the US dollar — useful for moving value without crypto's usual price swings, but you're trusting the issuer's reserves.",[43,44,45],"Value is only as solid as the issuer's reserve backing and how often it's audited","Major issuers publish reserve attestations at different frequencies and levels of detail — read them before relying on one","A stable price is not the same as a risk-free asset; issuer or regulatory problems can still break the peg","stablecoin",{"slug":48,"symbol":49,"name":50,"category":28,"risk_level":51,"summary":52,"reasons":53,"glossary_slug":23},"solana","SOL","Solana","volatile","A high-throughput blockchain built for speed and low transaction fees, popular for trading apps and consumer-facing crypto products.",[54,55,56],"Has suffered multiple network outages over its history, some lasting hours","Price has historically swung more sharply than Bitcoin or Ethereum across market cycles","Faster and growing, but with a more concentrated validator set than Ethereum today",{"slug":58,"symbol":59,"name":59,"category":60,"risk_level":51,"summary":61,"reasons":62,"glossary_slug":23},"xrp","XRP","Payments","Designed for fast, low-cost cross-border settlement, and closely tied to Ripple, the company most associated with promoting it.",[63,64,65],"Years of US regulatory uncertainty preceded a 2023 court ruling that clarified some — not all — aspects of its legal status","Price and trading volume are heavily influenced by the issuing company's own actions and announcements","Real-world payment adoption claims are easy to overstate — read past the headlines",{"slug":67,"symbol":68,"name":69,"category":70,"risk_level":71,"summary":72,"reasons":73,"glossary_slug":23},"dogecoin","DOGE","Dogecoin","Meme coin","speculative","Started in 2013 as a joke based on an internet meme, with no roadmap or scarcity mechanism comparable to Bitcoin's — its price is driven almost entirely by sentiment.",[74,75,76],"Unlimited supply — there is no maximum cap, unlike Bitcoin's fixed 21 million","Price history is dominated by social-media-driven spikes and crashes","Treat it as pure speculation on attention and sentiment, not an investment thesis"]