Crypto Resources
Overview
Crypto will likely become the tool that we use to transact value and reshape large parts of the financial industry. However, at the same time the industry is plagued by false information and misunderstandings. This series of resources pages compiled by the Messari team aims to solve the problem of misinformation by curating the best readings, tools, and resources regarding each topic in crypto. For crypto to fully be adopted, people must first understand it.
If there is anything you'd like to add or change, you can tweet your feedback at @messari_crypto, leave a note on our Community Feedback Trello board, or email spenser@messari.io
List of Resources
Crypto History
Before diving into crypto, one must understand the how and why behind its invention. The list is categorized by four topics: "History of Money", "History of Digital Money", "Philosophical and Political Motivations", and "History of Bitcoin". Crypto was not an overnight innovation. People have worked on digitizing money for the past thirty years. Thus, knowing the evolution of money, the history of digital payments, and the philosophical and political motivations of cryptocurrencies can contextualize our understanding of the implications of cryptocurrencies.
https://messari.io/resource/crypto-history
Stablecoins
For crypto to succeed as a medium of exchange, tokens with stable values and predictable volatilities must be created. The list is organized by best reads on stablecoins, the papers of the most prominent stablecoins and research, and a set of tools and resources for stablecoin research and discussions. Stablecoins are a nascent industry and this guide serves as a primer for deeper research.
https://messari.io/resource/stablecoins
Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)
Decentralized exchanges will most likely become a key piece of infrastructure for the crypto industry in the future. The following is a list of best resources for decentralized exchange (DEX) research. The list is organized by best reads on DEXs, the whitepapers of the most prominent DEX protocols, and a set of tools and resources for DEX research and discussions. The DEX industry is significantly understudied and this guide serves as a primer for deeper research.
https://messari.io/resource/decentralized-exchanges
Token Curated Registries (TCRs)
Token curated registries are a potential way to use token incentive structures to curate lists. This resource page is ordered by articles regarding TCRs, related concepts that inspired TCRs, whitepapers of protocols that use TCRs, and tools and resources for TCRs. TCRs are a new crypto primitive that people are beginning to experiment with, and the guide serves as a primer for deeper research.
https://messari.io/resource/token-curated-registries
Web 3
The narrative of Web 3 - a truly decentralized internet where users control their own data - is one of the biggest pushers behind dApp development and the crypto movement. The list is organized by best reads on the subject of Web 3, the papers of the most prominent Web 3 projects, documentation from various project teams, and a readings about concepts that go hand in hand with Web 3. As we are still in the early days of Web 3, there is still tremendous room for innovation and this guide serves as a primer for more in-depth research.
https://messari.io/resource/web-3
Generalized Mining
Generalized mining is defined as "any supply-side service provided by a third party to a decentralized network in exchange for compensation allocated by the network” according to Jake Brukhman. It's a new way of combining crypto investing and mining as many protocols move towards staking-based consensus mechanisms. The list is organized by best reads on generalized mining, tweetstorms about the subject, videos and podcasts explaining it, and a list of related reads (especially Proof of Stake and governance). As generalized mining is still a very new concept, there is still a significant amount of room for improvements. This list serves as a primer for further research and proposals.
https://messari.io/resource/generalized-mining
Design
Design is one of the most under-discussed yet most-important parts aspects of crypto; inclusive, empathetic, and intuitive design is critical for crypto mass adoption. The following is a list of best crypto and blockchain design resources. The list is organized by readings, case studies and examples, podcasts and videos, and tools and resources. Hopefully, with this list the industry can start to focus more on design and make crypto more accessible to not just the 1%, but also the 99%.
https://messari.io/resource/design
Crypto News
Crypto is one of the fastest moving industries and quality news is rare. The following is a list of best crypto news, information, and newsletters sources handpicked by Messari sorted by "News & Information" and "Newsletters". The Messari team visits all of those sites everyday to source news stories and analysis pieces for www.messari.io.
https://messari.io/resource/crypto-news
Credits
Credits go out to UNIC's DFIN-511 course, The Stablecoin Index, a16z's Crypto Canon, Jameson Lopp's Bitcoin resources, Cryptoinfluencers.io, Coinmetrics, Cryptoacademia, Princeton's BTC-Tech course, Brown's Blockchain Technologies and Cryptocurrencies course, Block by Block's Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Resources list, ConsenSys Ethereum Developer Tools List, Awesome Cryptoeconomics, inDEX, The ToolBlock, Design for Blockchain, Token Economy, The Control, Blockchain Weekly, ConsenSys Academy, the Token Curated Registry Reading List, and all the other resources mentioned.