Satoshi (sat)
The smallest unit of Bitcoin, equal to 0.00000001 BTC (one hundred-millionth of a Bitcoin). Named after Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, sats allow for precise microtransactions and are increasingly used as a unit of account as Bitcoin's price rises, making whole BTC amounts impractical for everyday use.
“At $60,000 per Bitcoin, one satoshi is worth $0.0006. The Lightning Network enables sending just a few sats as a tip or micropayment.”
Bitcoin (BTC)
The first and largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin is designed as a decentralized digital currency with a hard-capped supply of 21 million coins, enforced through a halving mechanism that reduces new coin issuance approximately every four years. It uses Proof of Work consensus and is often referred to as 'digital gold.'
Cryptocurrency
A digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and operates on a decentralized network, typically a blockchain. Unlike traditional currencies issued by governments, cryptocurrencies are not controlled by any central authority and use consensus mechanisms to validate transactions and maintain the integrity of the ledger.