Ethereum explained: one network, many programs
Separate ETH, the Ethereum network, and the smart contracts that applications use.
Ethereum
Explore Ethereum, smart contracts, network fees, token permissions and scaling networks through sourced coverage.
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9 sourced articles, with the mechanisms and limits explained.
Crypto network fees: what you are paying for
See how limited block space, computation, urgency, and network design shape a transaction fee.
Token approvals explained: permission before spending
Learn what an ERC-20 allowance permits, why unlimited approvals matter, and how to review access.
Layer 2 vs Layer 1: execution, settlement and withdrawal paths
Understand Layer 2 vs Layer 1, rollups vs sidechains, sequencer confirmations and withdrawal routes. Check what Ethereum secures before choosing a network.
Pending Ethereum transaction: diagnose before sending again
Check a pending Ethereum transaction by network, hash and nonce. Separate pending, dropped, replaced and failed before using a wallet's replacement controls.
Wallet connection, signature and token approval: three different permissions
Read a MetaMask signature request by its permissions. Compare wallet connection, sign-in, token approvals, Permit2 and account delegation before signing.
How to read a blockchain transaction: what a hash does and does not prove
Read an Ethereum transaction hash, status, recipient, token transfers and fee. Learn what Success proves, and why it does not guarantee an exchange deposit.
Crypto wallets explained: what they actually store
Follow the keys, records, and custody choices behind the thing we casually call a crypto wallet.
How stablecoins work—and how a peg can fail
Trace the reserve, redemption, market, and software dependencies behind a stable-looking price.
Useful definitions
Layer 2 →
A system that processes activity beyond a base blockchain while deriving part of its settlement or security from it.
Blockchain →
A blockchain is a replicated ordered record. Learn why broadcasting a transaction, including it in a block and reaching finality are different.
Blockchain bridge →
A system that communicates or represents assets and messages across otherwise separate networks.
Gas fee →
Ethereum gas fees explained: gas used, gas limit, effective price and fee caps are different. A higher gas limit is not a faster-transaction setting.
Public address →
A network-specific identifier used as a destination or reference for blockchain activity.
Smart contract →
Code and state at a blockchain address that execute according to network rules when called.
Token approval →
An onchain permission allowing a specified spender to transfer up to an allowance of tokens.
Background & primary sources
This collection links to sourced explanations. The collection's revision date records a curation change, not a new independent factual review of every linked article. Use each article's Sources and checked date for its own claims.
Start with the network
Ethereum explained covers the core model: many computers agree on state while smart contracts define repeatable rules for changing it.
Understand the price of an action
Crypto network fees explains gas, why a failed transaction can still cost money, and why an app fee is not the same as a network fee.
Treat permissions as durable
Token approvals explained shows the difference between sending an asset and authorizing a contract to move it later.
Separate execution, settlement and exit
Layer 2 vs Layer 1 maps where a rollup executes transactions, where data is available, what the base chain checks and what completes a withdrawal. It distinguishes optimistic and validity-proof rollups, validium and sidechains rather than treating them as interchangeable networks.
The guide also separates an early sequencer confirmation from Ethereum data finality and an executable bridge exit. Check the specific route instead of assuming every withdrawal is instant or takes exactly seven days. Named implementations illustrate their documented rules, not a ranking or endorsement.
For the compact definitions, use Layer 2 and Blockchain bridge. The article provides the longer mechanism and limitations; the glossary is not a substitute for route-specific instructions.
Keep the limits visible
“On Ethereum” does not mean “safe,” “stable,” or “approved.” Smart contracts can contain bugs, interfaces can mislead, and the asset itself can remain volatile.
Sources
- Ethereum.org: What is Ethereum? — network overview, accessed 13 September 2026.
- Ethereum.org: Developer documentation — protocol and smart-contract documentation, accessed 13 September 2026.
The Layer 2 article carries its own implementation-specific primary sources. Those checks do not re-date the collection's historical sources or the other linked articles.