Litecoin (Litecoin, LTC) is one of the first cryptocurrencies to appear after Bitcoin and for a long time one of its main competitors. The project was conceived as a "lightweight" version of Bitcoin: it uses similar principles of a decentralized peer-to-peer network, but with a number of technical differences aimed at making transfers faster and cheaper. Litecoin is often called the "silver" to Bitcoin's "gold".

The key feature of Litecoin is the use of the Scrypt hashing algorithm instead of the SHA-256 used in Bitcoin. Litecoin became the originator of this technology in the crypto space. Scrypt places higher demands on RAM, which in the early days made mining more accessible to ordinary users and made it harder for specialized equipment to dominate.

How Litecoin differs

• A shorter target block creation interval compared to Bitcoin.
• A larger total coin supply in the network.
• The Scrypt algorithm at the heart of the Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism.

Litecoin is often used to test technological innovations that may later be applied in other networks as well. Like any digital asset, it is subject to high volatility, so decisions about using or acquiring it require independent analysis and a balanced approach.