<p id="isPasted">Cryptocurrencies achieve decentralization by replacing a single central authority (like a bank or government) with a distributed global network of computers, known as nodes, that collectively manage the system. </p><p><strong>1. Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) </strong></p><p>Instead of one master database at a central office, every "full node" in the network stores an identical copy of the entire transaction history (the blockchain). This ensures: </p><ul><li>No Single Point of Failure: If one node goes offline or is hacked, thousands of others remain active to keep the network running.</li><li>Transparency: Anyone can audit the public ledger to verify transactions without needing permission from a third party.</li></ul><p><strong>2. Consensus Mechanisms</strong></p><p>Since there is no "boss" to approve transactions, the network uses a consensus mechanism—a set of rules that nodes must follow to agree on which transactions are valid. </p><ul><li>Proof of Work (PoW): Used by Bitcoin, miners compete to solve complex math puzzles. The cost of electricity and hardware makes it prohibitively expensive for one person to cheat or take over the network.</li><li>Proof of Stake (PoS): Used by Ethereum (since its 2022 upgrade), validators are chosen based on the amount of cryptocurrency they "stake" as collateral. Malicious behavior results in the loss of their staked funds (slashing).</li></ul><p><strong>3. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Infrastructure</strong></p><p>Transactions happen directly between users' digital wallets. When you send crypto, your request is broadcast to the entire network; nodes verify that you have enough funds and that your digital signature is valid before adding it to a "block." This disintermediation removes the need for middleman fees and censorship. </p><p><strong>4. Decentralized Governance</strong></p><p>Most major projects are governed by their communities rather than a CEO. </p><ul><li>Open Source Code: The software is public; anyone can suggest improvements or "fork" the code to start a new version if they disagree with the current direction.</li><li>DAOs: Many protocols use Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, where token holders vote on key decisions like protocol upgrades or treasury spending.</li></ul><p><strong>Summary of Differences</strong></p><p><strong> Feature Centralized (Banks) Decentralized (Crypto)</strong></p><table data-animation-nesting="" data-sae="" style="border: none; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: auto; width: 652px; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(16, 18, 24); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted"><tbody><tr data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp=""></tr><tr data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp=""><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Authority</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Controlled by one entity</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 0px;">Distributed across all nodes</td></tr><tr data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp=""><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Access</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Permissioned (can be blocked)</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 0px;">Permissionless (anyone can join)</td></tr><tr data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp=""><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Trust</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Trust in the institution</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: 0.8px solid rgb(45, 47, 53); min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 0px;">Trust in the code/mathematics</td></tr><tr data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp=""><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: none; min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Uptime</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: none; min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 16px 12px 0px;">Fails if central server goes down</td><td colspan="undefined" data-complete="true" data-sfc-cp="" style="border-bottom: none; min-width: 4em; vertical-align: top; color: rgb(230, 232, 240); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22px; letter-spacing: 0px; padding: 12px 0px;">Resistant to outages</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p id="isPasted">Cryptocurrencies achieve decentralization by replacing a single central authority (like a bank or government) with a distributed global network of computers, known as nodes, that collectively manage the system. </p><p><strong>1. Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) </strong></p><p>Instead of one master database at a central office, every "full node" in the network stores an identical copy of the entire transaction history (the blockchain). This ensures: </p><ul><li>No Single Point of Failure: If one node goes offline or is hacked, thousands of others remain active to keep the network running.</li><li>Transparency: Anyone can audit the public ledger to verify transactions without needing permission from a …</li></ul>