The number of live blockchains is growing every day at an ever-increasing pace. As of 2022, there are more than 10,000 active cryptocurrencies based on blockchain, with several hundred more non-cryptocurrency blockchains. But the Ethereum blockchain also allows the creation of smart contracts https://allcoinss.com and programmable tokens used in initial coin offerings , and non-fungible tokens . These are all built up around the Ethereum infrastructure and secured by nodes on the Ethereum network. When a user makes a public transaction, their unique code—called a public key, as mentioned earlier—is recorded on the blockchain. Transactions placed through a central authority can take up to a few days to settle.