Welcome to the cryptocurrency Starter Kit. This page and any related content in the repo have been created to help those who want to get involved with, hold, mine, or trade this exciting new movement.
A cryptocurrency (or crypto currency) is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to secure its transactions, to control the creation of additional units, and to verify the transfer of assets.[1][2][3] Cryptocurrencies are classified as a subset of digital currencies and are also classified as a subset of alternative currencies and virtual currencies. Extract from Wikipedia
If you are interested in knowing how the underlying technology works then you might want to start by reading the bitcoin whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto. There are many different currencies out there now but you might also want to read about Ethereum and Litecoin.
If white papers are not your thing and you are only interested in trading then Coindesk's much lighter article on cryptocurrencies and blockchain may be a better place for you, and then move on to creating a wallet or an account on an exchange (see below).
- Banking on Bitcoin: Documentary for those interested in a brief overview and a little bit of history. [Netflix]
- Magic Money
- Bitcoin.com
- BitPanda
- Bitstamp
- Buy Bitcoin Worldwide
- Coinhouse
- Coinbase
- Coinmama
- IndaCoin
- Kraken
- Local Bitcoins
- Oxycoin
- VirWox
See the Cryptocurrency Mining Starter Kit
Cryptocurrencies are stored in wallets, these are available via local software, hardware and cloud variants which a preference on hardware for security.
- Jaxx (Desktop, Android, iOS) - Supports multiple currencies
- Breadwallet (Android, iOS) - Bitcoin only - Supports routing through your own node
- Samourai (Android) - Bitcoin only - Supports routing through your own node
- GreenWallet (Desktop, Android, iOS) - Bitcoin only
- MyEtherWallet (Web) - Ethereum only
Probably the most secure way to store your currency.
- Always check the URL of the site you are visiting!
- Cryptonite Verify site identity
- MetaMask Identity value Chrome plugin for Ethereum
A lot of information is available on Twitter, however following individuals can be time consuming so you might want to scroll down to see aggregation options.
- https://twitter.com/aantonop - Andreas Antonopoulos - Author of Mastering bitcoin
- https://twitter.com/bitcoinmom - Brooke Mallers - Tweets a lot on bitcoin
- https://twitter.com/CharlieShrem - Charlie Shrem - CTO of Jaxx wallet. One of the earliest bitcoin adopters.
- https://twitter.com/eric_lombrozo - Eric Lombrozzo - Core developer
- https://twitter.com/Excellion - Samson Mow - Blockchain enterpeneur
- https://twitter.com/gavinandresen - Gavin Andresen - One of the earliest bitcoin developers
- https://twitter.com/jfnewbery - John Newberry - Core developer
- https://twitter.com/jimmysong - Jimmy Song - Core Developer and Off Chain Podcast Host
- https://twitter.com/laurashin - Laura Shin - Forbes' blockchain girl. Also the host of the Unchained podcast
- https://twitter.com/lopp - Jameson Lopp - Bitcoin developer
- https://twitter.com/MadBitcoins - Youtube Show on Bitcoins
- https://twitter.com/NickSzabo4 - Nick Szabo - The guy who invented Smart Contracts
- https://twitter.com/petertoddbtc - Peter Todd - Core developer
- https://twitter.com/pwuille - Peter Wuille - Core developer
- https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite - Charlie Lee - Creator of Litecoin
- https://twitter.com/TechBalt - Adam Meister - The Bitcoin Meister Show
- https://twitter.com/TheBlueMatt - Matt Corallo - Core developer
- https://twitter.com/theonevortex - Vortex - Host of the bitcoin show
- https://twitter.com/ToneVays - Tone Vays - Trading Consultant
- https://twitter.com/TuurDemeester - Tuur Demeester - Bitcoin developer
- https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin - Vitalik Buterin - Creator of Ethereum
- https://twitter.com/_jonasschnelli_ - Jonas Shnelli - Core developer
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/ - Bitcoin
- https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/ - Bitcoin
- https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/ - Cryptocurrency
- https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoMarkets/ - Crypto Market News
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/ - Ethereum
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Iota/ - IOTA
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Ripple/ - Ripple
- https://bitcoinmagazine.com/
- https://coinjournal.net/
- https://cointelegraph.com/
- https://www.coindesk.com/
- https://www.ethnews.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLnQ34ZBSjy2JQjeRudFEDw - Cryptoverse - Youtube show
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLgyAakZPtCVQKl6naVHUfOiICFG8BYMp - Bitcoin Meister - Youtube show
- https://www.youtube.com/user/WorldCryptoNetwork - Lots of crypto youtube shows
- https://epicenter.tv/ - Blockchain Podcast
- https://letstalkbitcoin.com/ - Lots of Bitcoin podcasts
- https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com/episodes/bitcoin-mastermind-charlie-lee-tuur-demeester/ - Interview with Charlie Lee and Tuur Demester on The Investors Podcast
- https://www.kevinrose.com/single-post/andreas-antonopolous - Interview with Andreas Antonopoulos on The Kevin Rose Show
- https://tim.blog/2017/06/04/nick-szabo/ - Interview with Nick Szabo on Tim Ferris Show
https://coinmarketcap.com/coins/ - Keep up to date with virtually all available coins https://convertly.me/ - A tool to convert values between crypto / fiat currencies
The best way for you to make this starter better is to share your advice with others or make corrections to this document. To do so please create a branch, edit the document and issue a Pull Request. We'll add a brief how-to guide soon.