Decentralization
In short
Decentralization means no single party controls the system — not the rules, not the data, not access. It is crypto's core promise, in degrees rather than absolutes.
The honest view counts: who can change the protocol? How distributed are nodes, miners/validators and tokens? Many "decentralized" projects look surprisingly central up close.
Why is decentralization valuable at all?
It removes single points of attack and censorship — nobody alone can freeze, change or switch it off.
Related terms
Information, not investment advice. More of this? The newsletter.