Simple guide

Fiat money
Everyday money issued by a country. Example: Swiss franc.

Digital money
The same money, shown on a screen instead of a banknote.

Crypto-asset
Internet money or tokens that nobody can change without your key.

Blockchain
A shared online ledger. You do not erase pages – you append signed pages.

Blockchain network and native coin
Like different countries. Each has its own coin. To move around, you pay with that country’s coin.

Token
Tokens created inside a country. They use the country’s roads to move.

Fiat money
Money issued by a state or a central bank. Modern examples: CHF, EUR.

Digital money
Money represented in software. It can be managed by a bank or by you.

Crypto-asset
A digital asset secured by cryptography. You do not need a bank to prove ownership.

Blockchain
A shared ledger where each block links to the previous one. You add new records – you do not edit past ones.

Blockchain network and native coin
Each network has a primary coin used to pay fees. Examples: Bitcoin has BTC, Ethereum has ETH, Solana has SOL.

Token
An asset issued on top of an existing network. An ERC-20 lives on Ethereum, an SPL lives on Solana, etc.

Public address
Your crypto IBAN. You can share it to receive.

Private key
The key to your vault. If someone sees it, they can take everything.

Seed phrase
A backup of all your keys in 12 or 24 words. Lost or shared = everything is lost.

Non-custodial vs custodial wallet
Non-custodial: vault at your place. Freedom and responsibility.
Custodial: vault at a bank. Simpler, but you must trust them.

Add a network
Like loading a new map in your GPS to travel to another country.

Add a token
A hidden pocket. You tell the wallet where it is so the coins appear.

Stablecoin
Tokens designed to stay close to 1 dollar. Handy if you prefer less price movement.

Public address
A visible identifier on the blockchain. People can send you funds to it. It is safe to share.

Private key
A secret code proving you own an address and allowing you to sign transactions. Never share it.

Seed phrase
A list of 12 to 24 words that can recreate all your private keys and all linked wallets. Keep it offline and in a safe place.

Non-custodial vs custodial wallet
Non-custodial: you hold your private key. Examples: Ledger, Rabby, MetaMask, Phantom. You are responsible.
Custodial: a company holds the keys for you. Examples: exchanges or crypto banking apps. Simpler, but you depend on a third party.

Add a network
One wallet can talk to multiple blockchains. On an EVM wallet you add a network with its RPC URL, chain ID, symbol, etc.

Add a token
You declare the token’s contract address so the wallet displays it. Without that, the balance exists but stays invisible.

Stablecoin
A token designed to follow a stable currency, often the US dollar. Examples: USDC, USDT, DAI. Useful to avoid volatility.

Transaction
A signed envelope. The network executes what you ask.

Gas and fees
The fuel to drive. The busier or more complex, the higher the cost. You need the country’s fuel, for example ETH on Ethereum.

⚠️Common mistakes

• Forgetting to keep a bit of the native coin

• Confusing approve and transfer

Blockchain explorers
Your parcel tracker for a transaction. Paste the number and see its status.

Relayers and meta-transactions
A courier pays the fuel, delivers for you, and gets reimbursed – sometimes free if sponsored.

Donation proofs and receipts
A public tracking number plus a page confirming who received the donation and how much.

Transaction
A message signed with your private key that asks the network to change something. Examples: send a token, approve a contract, make a donation.

Gas and fees
Gas measures the work the network must do. EVM cost = gas used × gas price, paid in the network’s native coin. Two main factors: the complexity of the action and network traffic. You must hold a bit of the native coin to pay, unless a sponsor or relayer pays for you.
Short example – Estimated gas 50,000 × 20 gwei = 1,000,000 gwei ≈ 0.001 ETH.

⚠️Common mistakes

• Not keeping a bit of the native coin for fees

• Confusing approve and transfer

• Leaving unnecessary approvals in place

Blockchain explorers
Sites like Etherscan or Solscan let you track the status of a transaction and read the events emitted by contracts. You will find the transaction hash, blocks, logs, and the addresses involved.

Relayers and meta-transactions
You sign off-chain, a relayer submits on-chain and can advance fees via a sponsor or a paymaster, then get reimbursed according to the rules. Useful for gasless flows and aggregation.

Donation proofs and receipts
Primary on-chain proof: the transaction hash and the donation contract’s events indicating donor, beneficiary, token, amount, and date. An optional off-chain receipt can reference that hash.

I lost my seed
Without the 12 or 24 words, you cannot recover. Keep them offline.

Someone asks for my seed to verify my account
Never share your seed. Never.

I do not see my token after a transfer
It arrived but it is hidden. Add the token to display it.

I lost my seed
There is no “forgot password”. Without the seed, funds are not recoverable.

Someone asks for my seed to verify my account
It is a scam. No one should ever ask for it.

I do not see my token after a transfer
Check on the explorer that the transfer exists. If yes, add the token in the wallet with the correct contract address.