Explorable Papers

Interactive Papers

Foundational papers, reproduced word for word, with interactive diagrams over the original text. Hover a term for a plain-language definition, or open an explainer you can actually run — mine a real block, tamper with a transaction and watch it break.

Fork on GitHub Open source — fork it, fix an explainer, or add a new paper. Contributions welcome.
2008 · 8 pages

Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System Live

Satoshi Nakamoto

How to make cash work online without a bank in the middle. Digital signatures, proof-of-work, the longest chain, and the attacker math — the whole paper, verbatim.

Full text · 11 interactive explainers
2013 · white paper

Ethereum: A Next-Generation Smart Contract Platform Explainers in progress

Vitalik Buterin

From a single-purpose ledger to a programmable one: accounts, gas, the virtual machine, and contracts that run on the chain.

Full text · interactive explainers being added