# Monero Academy

> A free, ad-supported education site teaching everything about getting and using Monero (XMR), from total beginner to advanced. Text lessons organized into courses by level, with quizzes. No accounts, no tracking, works without JavaScript, Tor-accessible.

## Beginner

### Crypto & Money Basics — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/crypto-and-money-basics
Start from zero: what money is, what cryptocurrency is and the problem it solves, how a blockchain works, and what a wallet is.
- [What Is Money?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/what-is-money): Money explained from first principles — what it is, the properties of good money, and why sound money matters.
- [What Is Cryptocurrency?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/what-is-cryptocurrency): A plain-English introduction to cryptocurrency: digital money you can hold and send without a bank.
- [What Problem Does Crypto Solve?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/what-problem-does-crypto-solve): Why cryptocurrency exists: censorship, inflation, gatekeepers, and trusting third parties with your money.
- [What Is a Blockchain?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/what-is-a-blockchain): How a blockchain works as a shared, tamper-resistant ledger that no single party controls.
- [Centralized vs Decentralized](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/centralized-vs-decentralized): The core difference between a bank or exchange holding your money and you holding it yourself.
- [What Is a Crypto Wallet?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/what-is-a-wallet): A wallet doesn't hold coins — it holds keys. The mental model that makes everything else click.
- [Payment Methods Compared: Cash, Cards, Banks & Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/crypto-and-money-basics/payment-methods-compared): How cash, debit cards, credit cards, bank transfers and Monero really differ — fees, settlement speed, privacy, reversibility and who is in control.

### What Is Monero? — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/monero-basics
What Monero is, why it's unique, where it came from, and the ideas — privacy and fungibility — that set it apart.
- [What Is Monero?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/what-is-monero): Monero (XMR) explained: private, fungible digital cash that's untraceable by default.
- [Why Monero Is Unique](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/why-monero-is-unique): Privacy on by default, fungibility, and a fair-launch community — what makes Monero different from every other coin.
- [The History of Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/history-of-monero): From CryptoNote and Bytecoin to the 2014 fair launch, RandomX, and today — how Monero came to be.
- [Monero vs Bitcoin: Privacy](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/monero-vs-bitcoin-privacy): Bitcoin is a transparent ledger; Monero hides sender, receiver and amount. Why that difference matters.
- [What Is Fungibility (and Why It Matters)](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/what-is-fungibility): Why every coin being equal and interchangeable is essential to real money — and why Monero has it.
- [Community, Emission & Tail Emission](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/monero-basics/monero-community-and-emission): No premine, no company, community-funded development, and the tail emission that keeps Monero secure.

### Your First Monero Wallet — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/your-first-monero-wallet
Everything about wallets and keys: the wallet types, public vs private (spend and view) keys, your seed phrase, and how to create, receive and send safely.
- [Types of Monero Wallets](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/monero-wallet-types): Official GUI/CLI, Feather, Cake, Monerujo and hardware wallets — which to pick and why.
- [Public & Private Keys in Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/monero-public-and-private-keys): Monero's unusual two-key design: spend keys and view keys, and what each one can do.
- [Your Seed Phrase (25 Words)](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/your-seed-phrase): What Monero's 25-word mnemonic is, how it backs up your whole wallet, and how to store it safely.
- [Create Your First Wallet](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/create-your-first-wallet): A step-by-step walkthrough of creating a Monero wallet and verifying your backup.
- [Receiving Monero & Addresses](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/receiving-monero-and-addresses): Primary addresses, subaddresses and integrated addresses — how to receive privately.
- [Sending Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/sending-monero): How to send XMR: addresses, amounts, fees, priority and confirming it arrived.
- [Wallet Security Basics](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/your-first-monero-wallet/wallet-security-basics): The handful of habits that keep your Monero safe from day one.

### Security & Self-Custody — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/security-and-self-custody
Hold your own Monero safely: the self-custody mindset, securing your seed, passphrases, spotting scams, backups, and inheritance.
- [The Self-Custody Mindset](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/self-custody-philosophy): Why 'not your keys, not your coins' is the foundation of holding Monero — and the responsibility it brings.
- [Securing Your Seed](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/securing-your-seed): Practical ways to back up and protect your 25-word seed against loss, theft and disaster.
- [Passphrases & Extra Protection](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/passphrase-and-extra-protection): Adding an optional passphrase for an extra layer, and the trade-offs to understand.
- [Phishing & Scams](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/phishing-and-scams): The common scams targeting Monero users and how to never fall for them.
- [Backups & Recovery](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/backups-and-recovery): How to back up properly and confidently restore your wallet when you need to.
- [Inheritance Planning](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/security-and-self-custody/inheritance-planning): Making sure your Monero isn't lost forever — passing it on without compromising security today.

## Intermediate

### Getting Monero — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/getting-monero
Every way to get XMR — exchanges, no-KYC instant swaps, peer-to-peer, earning and mining — and how to choose based on privacy.
- [Ways to Get Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/ways-to-get-monero): An overview of all the routes to acquire XMR and the trade-offs between them.
- [Buying on Exchanges (KYC)](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/buying-on-exchanges-kyc): How centralized exchanges work, what KYC means, and the risks of buying Monero with your identity attached.
- [No-KYC Instant Swaps](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/no-kyc-instant-swaps): How to get Monero by swapping another coin with no account and no KYC, straight to your wallet.
- [Peer-to-Peer Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/peer-to-peer-monero): Buying XMR directly from another person — how P2P works and how to stay safe.
- [Earning & Mining Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/earning-and-mining-monero-intro): Getting Monero by accepting it as payment or by mining it with a regular computer.
- [Choosing How to Get Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/getting-monero/choosing-how-to-get-monero): Matching the acquisition method to your privacy needs, budget and skill.

### How Monero Works — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/how-monero-works
The technology behind the privacy: stealth addresses, ring signatures, RingCT, network privacy, confirmations and fees — explained simply.
- [Stealth Addresses](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/stealth-addresses): How one-time addresses hide the receiver so your address never appears on the blockchain.
- [Ring Signatures](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/ring-signatures): How mixing your spend with decoys hides which output is really being spent — protecting the sender.
- [RingCT: Hidden Amounts](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/ringct-hidden-amounts): How Confidential Transactions hide the amount while still proving no money was created from nothing.
- [Dandelion++ & Network Privacy](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/dandelion-network-privacy): How Monero obscures which node a transaction came from, and why network-level privacy matters.
- [Confirmations & the 10-Block Lock](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/block-confirmations-and-locks): Why received Monero is locked for 10 blocks, and what confirmations mean for your funds.
- [Fees & Dynamic Block Size](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/fees-and-dynamic-block-size): How Monero keeps fees low with an adaptive block size, and how transaction priority works.
- [The Life of a Transaction](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/how-monero-works/transaction-lifecycle): Follow a Monero transaction from your wallet to confirmation, tying all the pieces together.

### Using Monero in Practice — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/using-monero-in-practice
The day-to-day skills: checking your transactions without a public explorer, subaddresses, payment proofs, paying with XMR, and using a node over Tor.
- [Checking Your Transactions](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/checking-your-transactions): Monero has no public explorer for your funds — how to verify payments using your wallet, tx keys and view keys.
- [Subaddresses & Accounts](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/subaddresses-and-accounts): Organizing funds with accounts and subaddresses for privacy and bookkeeping.
- [Payment Proofs](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/payment-proofs): How to prove you sent (or received) a specific payment without exposing your whole wallet.
- [Paying With Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/paying-with-monero): Spending XMR in the real world: merchants, point-of-sale, and getting confirmations right.
- [Running Your Own Node](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/running-or-choosing-a-node): Your own node vs a remote node, the privacy trade-offs, and a full step-by-step guide to installing and running monerod yourself.
- [Connecting Over Tor](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/connecting-over-tor): Routing your wallet and node over Tor to hide your IP from the network.
- [Accepting Monero with BTCPay Server](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/using-monero-in-practice/accepting-monero-with-btcpay): Advanced: run your own self-hosted BTCPay Server to accept Monero payments directly — no processor, no middleman, full self-custody.

### Mining Monero — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/mining-monero
Earn XMR with your CPU: how RandomX mining works, solo vs pool, P2Pool, and what to consider before you start.
- [What Is Monero Mining?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/mining-monero/what-is-monero-mining): How Monero's RandomX algorithm lets ordinary CPUs secure the network and earn rewards.
- [Solo vs Pool Mining](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/mining-monero/solo-vs-pool-mining): The difference between mining alone and joining a pool, and which suits you.
- [Setting Up Mining](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/mining-monero/setting-up-mining): A practical walkthrough to start mining Monero to your own wallet.
- [P2Pool: Decentralized Mining](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/mining-monero/p2pool-decentralized-mining): How P2Pool gives you pool-like steady payouts while keeping mining decentralized.
- [Mining Considerations](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/mining-monero/mining-considerations): Profitability, heat, electricity and privacy factors to weigh before mining.

## Advanced

### Privacy Best Practices — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/privacy-best-practices
Use Monero well: threat modeling, network privacy, avoiding metadata leaks, the truth about churning, and real-world OPSEC.
- [Threat Modeling](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/threat-modeling): Privacy isn't one-size-fits-all — define who you're protecting against before choosing tools.
- [Network Privacy: Tor & I2P](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/network-privacy-tor-i2p): Hiding the network layer with Tor and I2P so your IP doesn't undermine Monero's on-chain privacy.
- [Avoiding Metadata Leaks](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/avoiding-metadata-leaks): The subtle ways you can deanonymize yourself around an otherwise-private transaction.
- [Churning: Myths & Reality](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/churning-myths-and-reality): What churning is, when it helps, when it doesn't, and the misconceptions to drop.
- [OPSEC for Monero](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/opsec-for-monero): Operational security habits for receiving, holding and spending XMR safely.
- [Privacy Myths Debunked](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/privacy-best-practices/privacy-myths-debunked): Common myths about Monero's privacy — and what's actually true.

### Coin Control & Advanced Wallet Use — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/coin-control-and-advanced
Take full control: how outputs work, managing them to avoid linking, dusting attacks, multisig, hardware/cold storage, and watch-only auditing.
- [What Is Coin Control?](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/what-is-coin-control): Understanding outputs in Monero and why controlling which ones you spend matters.
- [Managing Your Outputs](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/managing-outputs): Practical output management to keep funds separated and avoid accidental linking.
- [Dusting Attacks](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/dusting-attacks): What dusting is, why Monero resists it far better than transparent coins, and how to handle it.
- [Multisig in Depth](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/multisig-in-depth): How Monero multisig works, when to use it, and its trade-offs.
- [Hardware & Cold Storage](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/hardware-and-cold-storage): Keeping keys offline with hardware wallets and cold-storage workflows.
- [Watch-Only Wallets & Auditing](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/coin-control-and-advanced/watch-only-and-auditing): Using view keys and watch-only wallets to audit funds without exposing spend ability.

### Running & Operating a Node — https://moneroacademy.com/courses/running-and-operating-nodes
Go beyond using a node to operating one: run a public remote node over Tor for the community, read live network stats like fees and circulating supply, and prune your blockchain to save space.
- [Running a Public Remote Node](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/running-and-operating-nodes/running-a-public-remote-node): Open your node to the world: configure monerod as a public RPC node, serve it over Tor and clearnet, and help the community without risking your own privacy.
- [Checking Network Stats: Fees & Supply](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/running-and-operating-nodes/checking-network-stats): Read the Monero network live — current transaction fees, block reward, difficulty and the total circulating supply — straight from your node or a block explorer.
- [Node Pruning Explained](https://moneroacademy.com/learn/running-and-operating-nodes/node-pruning): How blockchain pruning works, what it keeps and drops, when to prune, and how to run a pruned node that still fully validates.

## Quizzes
- [Crypto Basics Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/crypto-basics-quiz)
- [Monero Fundamentals Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/monero-fundamentals-quiz)
- [Wallets & Keys Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/wallets-and-keys-quiz)
- [Getting Monero Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/getting-monero-quiz)
- [How Monero Works Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/how-monero-works-quiz)
- [Using Monero Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/using-monero-quiz)
- [Privacy Best Practices Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/privacy-best-practices-quiz)
- [Coin Control Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/coin-control-quiz)
- [Mining Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/mining-quiz)
- [Node Operations Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/nodes-operations-quiz)
- [Security & Self-Custody Quiz](https://moneroacademy.com/quizzes/security-quiz)