Today's topic:ย Coins vs. Tokens. Let's dig in ๐
We're starting things off with the simplest way to think about it:
๐ย A coin is the "main money" of a blockchain.
It'sย native. It's part of the chain's DNA.
๐ย A token is builtย on top ofย a blockchain.
It's something created using that chain's tools (usuallyย smart contracts). Tokens can doย tonsย of different jobs beyond "being money."
And now, let's go deeper...
Part 1: What is a coin?
A coin is the official currency of a blockchain network.
Coins typically do 3 big jobs:
1๏ธโฃย They're the chain's base asset
Because coins are native, they often become the default asset people:
๐ Trade against;
๐ Hold as the ecosystem's core asset;
๐ Use as collateral in that chain's economy.
2๏ธโฃย They pay for activity on the network (fees / gas)
Anytime you do something on a blockchain (send funds, interact with a contract, move assets), there's usually a small fee.ย That fee is paid in the chain's coin.
๐ย On Bitcoin, fees are paid inย BTC;
๐ย On Ethereum, fees are paid inย ETH;
๐ On BNB Chain, fees are paid inย BNB.
3๏ธโฃย They help secure the blockchain
Blockchains need people (or machines) to keep them running and honest. Coins help reward those participants:
๐ย On Bitcoin, miners earn BTC for validating and securing transactions.
๐ย On Proof-of-Stake networks, validators stake the coin and earn coin rewards for helping run the chain.
Part 2: What is a token?
Tokens are like the Swiss Army knives of crypto.
Aย tokenย is created on an existing blockchain (like Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, etc.) usingย smart contracts.
Tokens don't need to build an entire new blockchain from scratch - they justย liveย on one that already exists.
And they can represent all kinds of stuff:
1๏ธโฃย Utility tokens
These areย "use this token to access features"ย tokens.
Think:ย membership card / game currency / platform credits.
2๏ธโฃย Governance tokens
These areย "vote on the project's decisions"ย tokens.
Think:ย shareholder voting energy.
3๏ธโฃ Asset-backed or stable tokens
Some tokens represent something else, like:
๐ A real-world currency (stablecoins likeย USDT,ย USDC, etc.);
๐ Tokenized assets (in some cases).
4๏ธโฃย NFTs
Yes - NFTs are also tokens. They're justย non-fungibleย tokens (each one is unique).
The easiest "spot the difference" checklist:
1/ Does it haveย its ownย blockchain?
๐ย Yesย โ probably a coin;
๐ย Noย โ it's a token.
2/ What does it mainly do?
๐ย Pay fees, secure network, be the base currencyย โ coin;
๐ย Does a special job inside an app/protocolย โ token.
"Cool cool cool... but why should I care?" - you, maybe.
Glad you asked.
You should care because coins and tokens often behave differently:
๐ Coinsย are tied to theย health and usage of their blockchains.
(More activity = more fees = more demand for the coin in many cases.)
๐ Tokensย are tied to theย specific projectย they belong to.
(Great tokenomics + real users + strong product = better odds of survival.)
It also helps you avoid confusion when someone says:
"New coin launching!"
... and it's actually just a token on Ethereum with a logo and a dream.
Source: Binance News /
#BitDegree / Coinmarketcap
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