A decentralized exchange, or DEX, is essentially a digital marketplace where people trade cryptocurrencies directly with each other, without relying on middlemen like banks or brokers.
In traditional exchanges, like Binance or Kucoin, there's a central authority that facilitates trades, holds assets, and verifies transactions. But in a DEX, all these functions are automated through smart contracts, which are self-executing pieces of code that ensure trades are fair and secure. This means that users have full control over their assets, and there's no single point of failure or central authority that can be hacked or manipulated.
DEXs are built on blockchain technology, which allows for transparent, censorship-resistant, and trustless transactions. They also often offer more privacy and anonymity compared to traditional exchanges, as users don't need to provide personal information to participate.
Imagine a world where you can buy or sell assets at any time, without needing someone on the other side of the trade. That's what Automated Market Makers (AMMs) bring to the table. These decentralized systems use complex algorithms to provide liquidity to markets, allowing users to trade assets seamlessly.
AMMs achieve this by creating a pool of assets, which they use to buy and sell from users. When you want to buy an asset, the AMM sells it to you from its pool, and when you want to sell, it buys it from you. This pool is constantly rebalanced to ensure the AMM can fulfill both buy and sell orders. The beauty of AMMs lies in their ability to provide liquidity 24/7, without the need for traditional market makers or order books.
Liquidity is the lifeblood of any market, and in the world of decentralized finance (DeFi), liquidity pools are the heart that keeps it pumping. A liquidity pool is a shared pool of assets locked in a smart contract, which is used to facilitate trades and provide liquidity to a particular market or exchange.
Liquidity providers, on the other hand, are the individuals or organizations that contribute assets to these pools in exchange for a fee. They act as the backbone of the DeFi ecosystem, providing the necessary liquidity for traders to buy and sell assets. In return, they earn a percentage of the trading fees generated by the pool, making it a lucrative opportunity for those willing to take on the associated risks. You make way more money buying good altcoins instead but people that provide liquidity usually don't know better or they are rich enough to simply support something they believe in.
Smart contracts in DEXs automate the entire trading process, from order matching to asset transfer, ensuring that trades are executed exactly as intended. They eliminate the need for intermediaries, reducing the risk of fraud and increasing the speed of transactions. When a trade is executed, the smart contract automatically updates the balances of the parties involved, ensuring that the trade is settled in real-time.
When you trade on a traditional cryptocurrency exchange, you're essentially handing over control of your assets to the exchange. They hold your funds, and you're at their mercy. But with a decentralized exchange (DEX), you're in charge. Non-custodial trading means you retain ownership and control of your assets at all times. You're not required to deposit your funds into the exchange's wallet, and you can trade directly from your own wallet. This setup eliminates the risk of the exchange getting hacked or freezing your assets.
On a DEX, trades are executed through smart contracts, which automate the process and ensure that transactions are secure, transparent, and irreversible. This means that once a trade is confirmed, it can't be altered or cancelled. You're also protected from exchange-related risks, such as price manipulation or wash trading. With non-custodial trading, you're free to trade as you see fit, without relying on a third party to manage your assets.
There are cons to this though, especially as a beginner. Now you have to actually be responsible and it's harder than you may think.
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) are open to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Permissionless access means that you don't need to provide personal information, undergo KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, or get approved by a central authority to start trading. As long as you have a digital wallet and an internet connection, you're good to go. This accessibility is a game-changer for people in areas with limited financial infrastructure or those who are underserved by traditional financial systems. Even motherfuckers in the USA can do this shit, and their government has crypto by the balls.
On a DEX, there are no geographical restrictions, no minimum balance requirements, and no arbitrary limits on trading amounts. You're free to trade as much or as little as you want, whenever you want. This democratization of access is a core principle of decentralized finance (DeFi) and a key feature that sets DEXs apart from traditional exchanges.
Everything is out in the open, forever.
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) operate on blockchain technology, which means that all transactions, trades, and interactions are recorded on a public ledger. This transparency ensures that everything is out in the open, tamper-proof, and visible to anyone who wants to see it. You can track every transaction, verify the integrity of the trade, and even see the entire history of the exchange. This also allows you to shadow trade top traders.
The immutability of the blockchain means that once a transaction is confirmed, it can't be altered, deleted, or manipulated. This guarantees that trades are final and irreversible, giving you confidence that your transactions are secure and trustworthy. With DEXs, there's no behind-the-scenes manipulation or hidden agendas – everything is above board and open to scrutiny.
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) are breaking down the walls between different blockchain ecosystems. Cross-chain capabilities enable the seamless exchange of assets between multiple blockchain networks, such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polkadot. This means you can trade tokens and assets that exist on different blockchains, without the need for intermediaries or centralized exchanges.
The core mechanism behind cross-chain DEXs involves specialized protocols and smart contracts that facilitate communication between different blockchains. These protocols use techniques like atomic swaps, wrapped tokens, or bridge contracts to ensure secure and trustless transfers across chains. By implementing these solutions, DEXs can offer users access to a wider range of assets and trading pairs, regardless of their native blockchain.
One of the key advantages of cross-chain DEXs is increased liquidity. By tapping into multiple blockchain ecosystems, these platforms can aggregate liquidity from various sources, resulting in better pricing and reduced slippage for traders. This enhanced liquidity also attracts more users and market makers, creating a positive feedback loop that further improves the overall trading experience.
You're about to trade on a decentralized exchange (DEX) – a platform that's as unforgiving as it is liberating.
The first thing you'll notice when navigating a DEX interface is the stark contrast to traditional exchanges. Gone are the flashy charts and intuitive designs. Instead, you're greeted with a minimalist layout that assumes you know what you're doing. The most prominent feature is usually a long list of available trading pairs, often with cryptic symbols and abbreviations. A trading pair consists of two cryptocurrencies that can be exchanged for each other, such as ETH/USDT (Ethereum for Tether). Don't worry, you don't need to decipher them just yet. Focus on finding the search or filter function to locate the token you want to trade. Once you've selected your desired pair, the real fun begins – setting your buy or sell order.
Next problem you may notice is that there's multiple coins with the same name, leaving you wondering which is the real one. This is a common issue on DEXs, where anyone can create a token with any name. Be cautious of fake or scam tokens, and make sure to verify the token's contract address and liquidity before making a trade. A contract address is a unique identifier for a token on the blockchain, while liquidity refers to the ease with which a token can be bought or sold without significantly affecting its price.
Another challenge you'll face is the lack of stop-loss or margin trading features, which are commonly found on traditional exchanges. This means you'll need to be more vigilant and proactive in managing your trades.
Additionally, DEX interfaces often prioritize function over form, so be prepared to get familiar with terms like "slippage" and "gas fees." These might seem like foreign concepts, but they're crucial to understanding how your trades are executed. Slippage refers to the difference between the expected price and the actual price of your trade, which can occur due to market volatility or low liquidity. Gas fees are the costs associated with executing that trade on the blockchain, essentially paying for the computational power needed to process your transaction. As you navigate the interface, you'll need to balance these factors to ensure your trades are successful and cost-effective.
Trading pairs are the foundation of decentralized exchanges (DEXs). They represent two cryptocurrencies that can be traded directly for each other without the need for intermediaries. For example, ETH/USDT is a trading pair where users can exchange Ethereum for USDT stablecoin and vice versa. Understanding trading pairs is crucial for navigating DEXs effectively and making informed trading decisions. There are wayyy more and way weirder pairs on DEXs compared to CEXs, things get fucking wack, you'll also see a lot of wrapped versions of assets such as Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC) etc.
Buying a coin on Uniswap is a straightforward process (Once you watch a few youtube videos) that leverages the platform's automated market maker system. To begin, connect your Web3 wallet (like MetaMask) to the Uniswap interface. Ensure your wallet contains enough Ethereum to cover both the purchase and gas fees.
On the Uniswap exchange page, select the token you want to buy from the dropdown menu or paste its contract address. Enter the amount you wish to purchase or the amount of ETH you're willing to spend. Uniswap will display the expected output based on current liquidity and prices. Review the transaction details, including the minimum amount you'll receive and the price impact.
Click "Swap" and confirm the transaction in your wallet. Your wallet will prompt you to approve the gas fee. Once confirmed, the transaction will be processed on the Ethereum network. After the transaction is mined, the purchased tokens will appear in your wallet. Remember to add the token's contract address to your wallet if it's not automatically displayed.
However, third-party solutions have emerged to address this limitation. Projects like Gelato Network and 1inch Limit Order Protocol offer limit order functionality for Uniswap users. These services work by monitoring the market and executing trades when specified price conditions are met, effectively simulating limit orders on top of Uniswap's infrastructure.
It's important to note that these third-party solutions may introduce additional complexity and potential risks. Users should carefully research and understand the mechanisms of these services before using them. Additionally, gas fees and smart contract interactions associated with these limit order solutions may result in higher transaction costs compared to standard Uniswap swaps, which are already quite high.
When you trade on a decentralized exchange (DEX), you're not getting the price you see – you're getting the price the blockchain network decides you're getting.
Slippage is the difference between the expected price of a trade and the actual price at which it's executed. On a DEX, slippage occurs because the exchange doesn't have an order book like traditional exchanges do. Instead, it relies on liquidity providers to fill orders. When you place a trade, the DEX searches for the best available price among these providers. If the price moves during this process, you get slippage. The more liquidity providers, the lower the slippage – but it's never zero.
Price impact, on the other hand, is the effect your trade has on the market price. When you buy or sell a large amount, you move the price, causing subsequent trades to execute at a different price. This is especially significant on DEXs, where liquidity is often limited.
When you are about to confirm the order, it will tell you what slippage or price impact to expect, you can also manually set what kind of slippage you're willing to accept. I feel 3%-6% is reasonable for small projects. Anything over 10% is bullshit, especially if you're buying with a big amount. Do not buy any coins if a price impact is approaching 10% and going over.