Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about LayerZoo, Bitcoin education, Layer 2, self-custody, and the toolkits. Only one question is expanded at a time. The Jargon Buster is below with 50 terms and a search box.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LayerZoo?
LayerZoo is an open-source educational hub for Bitcoin and Layer 2 technologies. It provides educators with toolkits, decision trees, and resources while allowing self-learners to explore collections, stories, and practical activities.
How do I use the Educator Blueprint decision tree?
Start with the interactive questions on the Educator Blueprint page. It will recommend the most suitable toolkit based on your audience, knowledge level, and goals. All kits are in the shared Google Drive.
Are the toolkits free?
Yes. All kits are available in our shared Google Drive with read-only access. You can copy the folders to your own Drive or download them as ZIP for free.
What is the Colaso collection?
The Colaso collection is a preserved member collection of 99 unique pieces. It is part of the competitions and educational content on the site and remains fully available.
Is Layerz Wallet the only recommended wallet?
No. Layerz Wallet is one of several good self-custodial options that supports Bitcoin and multiple Layer 2 protocols in a single app. It is recommended in the kits for its ease of use.
How can I contribute to LayerZoo?
See the CONTRIBUTING.md file in the GitHub repository. We welcome lesson plans, slide decks, jargon explanations, and improvements to the decision tree or toolkits.
What is self-custody?
Holding your own private keys instead of using a third-party service. "Not your keys, not your coins." It gives you true ownership and protection from hacks or freezes.
What is a seed phrase?
A list of 12-24 random words that can recover your wallet. Never share it or store it online. It is your master backup.
What is the Lightning Network?
A Layer 2 solution for fast, cheap Bitcoin payments. Transactions happen off-chain in payment channels and the final balance is settled on the main chain.
What is BitVM?
A virtual machine that allows complex computation on Bitcoin without changing the base protocol. It uses fraud proofs and is a major step for Bitcoin DeFi and advanced applications.
How do I generate a PDF from the kits?
Open the Markdown file in the Google Drive folder, then File → Download → PDF. Or print the page and save as PDF.
Can I modify the kits?
Yes. Copy the folder to your own Drive and edit as needed. The materials are modular and designed to be adapted by educators.
What is the Educator Blueprint for?
It is a decision tree that helps educators assess their audience's knowledge level, goals, and context to choose the most effective toolkit and teaching sequence.
Are there more kits coming?
Yes. The series is designed to grow. The 4 current kits cover beginner to advanced. More will be added based on community feedback.
How do the NFT series fit in?
The NFT series for each collection will provide visual, engaging ways for self-learners to explore the different layers through art and stories.
Is the site open source?
Yes. The full code is on GitHub at Relborg737/layerzoo_website. Contributions are welcome through the fork and PR process.
What is a node?
A computer that validates and relays Bitcoin transactions, helping to keep the network decentralized.
What is hashrate?
The total computational power securing the Bitcoin network. Higher hashrate means more security.
What is a hard fork?
A backward-incompatible change to the Bitcoin protocol that creates a new chain (e.g. Bitcoin Cash).
What is a soft fork?
A backward-compatible upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol that does not create a new chain.
What is SegWit?
Segregated Witness - a upgrade that increased block capacity, fixed transaction malleability, and improved scalability.
What is Taproot?
An upgrade that improves privacy for complex scripts and multisig, making transactions look the same.
What is a DAO?
Decentralized Autonomous Organization - a community governed by smart contracts on the blockchain.
What is a DEX?
Decentralized Exchange - peer-to-peer trading without a central authority or custodian.
What is yield farming?
Earning rewards by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols on Layer 2 platforms.
What is an oracle?
A service that brings real-world data (e.g. prices, weather) to smart contracts on the blockchain.
What is a bridge?
A mechanism to move assets between different blockchains (e.g. from Bitcoin to Rootstock).
What is a rollup?
A Layer 2 that batches transactions and posts them to the main chain for security.
What is zero-knowledge?
A proof that allows verification of a statement without revealing the underlying data.
What is RBF?
Replace-By-Fee - the ability to replace a transaction with a higher-fee version to speed up confirmation.
What is CPFP?
Child-Pays-For-Parent - using a child transaction with higher fees to incentivize the confirmation of a stuck parent transaction.
What are Ordinals?
A protocol for assigning unique numbers to individual satoshis, enabling NFT-like collectibles on Bitcoin.
What are Runes?
A Bitcoin-native fungible token standard that uses a new protocol for tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain.
What is BRC-20?
An experimental fungible token standard on Bitcoin that uses the Ordinals protocol.

Jargon Buster (Top 50 Terms)

Halving: Event every 4 years where the Bitcoin block reward is cut in half, reducing new supply.
Self-Custody: Holding your own private keys instead of using a third-party service.
Seed Phrase: 12-24 word backup that can recover your wallet.
Lightning Network: Layer 2 solution for fast, cheap Bitcoin payments.
Layer 2: Scaling solutions built on top of Bitcoin for speed and lower fees.
BitVM: Virtual machine that allows complex computation on Bitcoin without changing the base protocol.
Covenants: Proposed Bitcoin scripting upgrades that allow more powerful transaction rules.
Multisig: Requires multiple signatures to spend Bitcoin (e.g. 2-of-3).
Node: Computer that validates and relays Bitcoin transactions.
Hashrate: Total computational power securing the Bitcoin network.
Private Key: Secret key that controls access to your Bitcoin.
Public Key: Shareable address derived from your private key.
Wallet: Software or hardware that manages your keys and transactions.
Testnet: Testing network for Bitcoin and Layer 2 without real money.
Mainnet: The live Bitcoin network with real value.
UTXO: Unspent Transaction Output - the model Bitcoin uses for tracking ownership.
Block: Group of transactions added to the blockchain every 10 minutes.
Blockchain: The public ledger of all Bitcoin transactions.
Mining: Process of securing the network and creating new Bitcoin.
51% Attack: If one miner controls more than 50% of hashrate, they could potentially rewrite history.
Soft Fork: Backward-compatible upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol.
Hard Fork: Backward-incompatible change that creates a new chain.
SegWit: Segregated Witness - upgrade that increased block capacity and fixed transaction malleability.
Taproot: Upgrade that improves privacy and enables more complex smart contracts.
Lightning: Layer 2 for fast, cheap, private Bitcoin payments.
Ark: Layer 2 focused on instant, private payments without channel management.
Rootstock: EVM-compatible smart contracts secured by Bitcoin merge-mining.
Stacks: Smart contracts tied to Bitcoin with sBTC coming soon.
Citrea: Zero-knowledge rollup for Bitcoin.
sBTC: Synthetic Bitcoin on Stacks for smart contract use.
DeFi: Decentralized Finance - lending, borrowing, trading without intermediaries.
NFT: Non-Fungible Token - unique digital asset on the blockchain.
DAO: Decentralized Autonomous Organization - community governed by smart contracts.
DEX: Decentralized Exchange - peer-to-peer trading without a central authority.
Yield Farming: Earning rewards by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols.
Oracle: Service that brings real-world data to smart contracts.
Bridge: Mechanism to move assets between different blockchains.
Rollup: Layer 2 that batches transactions and posts them to the main chain.
Zero-Knowledge: Proof that allows verification without revealing the underlying data.
Covenant: Bitcoin scripting upgrade that restricts how coins can be spent in the future.
OP_CAT: Proposed opcode that enables covenants by allowing concatenation of data.
Vault: Smart contract that protects funds with time-locks and recovery keys.
CoinJoin: Privacy technique that mixes multiple users' transactions to break linkability.
Silent Payments: Privacy upgrade that allows reusable payment codes without on-chain linkage.
Taproot: Upgrade that improves privacy for complex scripts and multisig.
Schnorr Signatures: Efficient signature scheme enabled by Taproot for better privacy and multisig.
Mempool: Pool of unconfirmed transactions waiting to be included in a block.
RBF: Replace-By-Fee - ability to replace a transaction with a higher-fee version.
CPFP: Child-Pays-For-Parent - using a child transaction to pay for a stuck parent transaction.
Ordinals: Protocol for assigning unique numbers to satoshis for NFT-like collectibles.
Runes: Bitcoin-native fungible tokens using a new protocol.
BRC-20: Experimental fungible token standard on Bitcoin using Ordinals.