# Welcome to Cosmos Forum ! Read this to get started
**URL:** https://forum.cosmos.network/t/welcome-to-cosmos-forum-read-this-to-get-started/29
**Category:** Miscellaneous
**Created:** [October 29, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://forum.cosmos.network/t/welcome-to-cosmos-forum-read-this-to-get-started/29 "2017-10-29T05:33:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@devcorn](https://forum.cosmos.network/u/devcorn)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://forum.cosmos.network/t/welcome-to-cosmos-forum-read-this-to-get-started/29/1 "2017-10-29T05:33:16Z")
# Welcome to the Cosmos Network forums! š
**Use this category for topics that donāt fit neatly into any other existing category.**
If you are new to Cosmos you will want to visit these important pages to learn more about Cosmos, there are many questions that can be answered by looking through the FAQ, Milestone and Funding pages.
If you have more questions please feel free to join the discussion on an existing topic or create a new one. Please try to avoid creating many new topics that can easily be answered by the links below. Always remember to abide by the Code of conduct when posting and creating topics.
# Community links
* * *
This category is intended for general inquiries. Below you will find a list of links to other community channels :
- [Community chat](https://t.me/cosmosproject)
- [Developer chat](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#cosmos:matrix.org)
- [Validators chat](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#cosmos_validators:matrix.org)
- [Cosmos subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/cosmosnetwork/)
# Getting started
* * *
### What is Cosmos ?
Cosmos is a project with an ambitious mission: To create a network of distributed ledgers (blockchains) that will solve long-standing problems in the cryptocurrency and blockchain communities.
The Cosmos network consists of many independent, parallel blockchains, called zones, each powered by classical Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols like Tendermint. Some zones act as hubs with respect to other zones, allowing many zones to interoperate through a shared hub. The architecture is a more general application of the Bitcoin sidechains concept, using classic BFT and Proof-of-Stake algorithms, instead of Proof-of-Work.
For more infos on Cosmos, please read our [FAQ](https://cosmos.network/faq), visit our [website](https://cosmos.network) and read our [whitepaper](https://cosmos.network/whitepaper)
### What is the Cosmos Hub ?
The first blockchain in the Cosmos network is the Cosmos hub. The Cosmos hub connects to zones via the novel IBC (inter-blockchain communication) protocol and keeps a record of the total number of tokens in each zone. Because all inter-zone token transfers go through the Cosmos hub, you can transfer tokens from one zone to another, quickly and securely, without the need for a liquid exchange or a trusted third party between zones.
The Cosmos hub can connect to many different kinds of zones, as long as each zone speaks IBC. As a result, Cosmos can support a variety of currencies and scripting languages like those found in Bitcoin, Ethereum, ZeroCash, CryptoNote, and more.
### What is Tendermint ?
Tendermint is a general-purpose blockchain consensus engine. It allows developer to easily deploy blockchain applications in any language. Most blockchains in the Cosmos network will be built on top of Tendermint, since Tendermint is natively compatible with IBC (inter-blockchain communication protocol).
If you want to learn more about Tendermint, please visit the [website](https://tendermint.com/) and read the [documentation](https://tendermint.readthedocs.io/en/master/)
### I donāt really understand, can you ELI5 Cosmos for me ?
A blockchain is a decentralised ledger that allows its users to interact trustlessly with each other. Blockchains come in different flavours. There are public blockchains to exchange value like Bitcoin, public blockchains to deploy and execute decentralised programs like Ethereum and private blockchains for consortiums to share a ledger while maintaining high level of privacy and control. However, current blockchains suffer from 3 major issues : scalability, interoperability and developer experience.
- **Scaling** : Scaling is an open issue for blockchains. Both Ethereum and Bitcoin support only a fraction of the transactions seen daily on payment networks like Visa or Mastercard. Tendermint Proof-of-Stake allows blockchain to process thousands of transaction per second, and Cosmos allows blockchain to scale even further by connecting them together.
- **Interoperability** : Cosmos can interoperate with multiple other applications and cryptocurrencies thanks to the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC), something other blockchains canāt do well. By creating a new zone, you can plug any blockchain system into the Cosmos hub and pass tokens back and forth between those zones, without the need for an intermediary. These blockchains can be completely independent, meaning that they can exchange value without giving up on their sovereignty. In Cosmos, private blockchains can interoperate with both public and private blockchains.
- **Developer experience** : Developing a blockchain from scratch is a daunting task. One of Cosmos goals is to smoothen this process so that developing blockchains and decentralised applications becomes easy and fast. To that end we offer a diverse suite of tool ranging from [ABCI-applications](https://github.com/tendermint/abci) that can be deployed in any language to the [Cosmos-SDK](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk), a golang framework to deploy public proof-of-stake blockchains and [Ethermint](https://github.com/tendermint/ethermint), the Ethereum Virtual Machine deployed on top of Tendermint.
In short, Cosmos is a network of interoperable blockchains that aims to solve the current issues of the blockchain ecosystem and pave the way for the financial system of tomorrow.
# I want to learn about IBC, the ABCI, the Cosmos-SDK, Ethermint, and so much more, can you please provide me with useful links ?
* * *
But of course.
### Documentation
- [Tendermint documentation](http://tendermint.readthedocs.io/projects/tools/en/master/introduction.html)
- [Cosmos-SDK documentation](http://cosmos-sdk.readthedocs.io/en/latest/overview.html#permission)
### Developers
- [Tendermint & ABCI](https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint)
- [ABCI](https://github.com/tendermint/abci)
- [Cosmos-sdk & IBC](https://github.com/cosmos)
- [Ethermint](https://github.com/tendermint/ethermint)
### Validators
- [Validator Working Group](https://cosmos.network/validators)
- [Testnet guide](http://cosmosvalidators.com/)
### Other
Please check our [blog](https://blog.cosmos.network/) and our [twitter](https://twitter.com/cosmos) for the latest news.
# Code of conduct
* * *
We are committed to making participation in this forum a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of the level of experience, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or nationality.
Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:
The use of sexualized language or imagery
Personal attacks
Trolling or insulting/derogatory comments
Public or private harassment
Publishing otherās private information, such as physical or electronic addresses, without explicit permission
Other unethical or unprofessional conduct
Forum moderators have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject posts, comments and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, or to suspend or ban any forum member for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
By adopting this Code of Conduct, moderators commit themselves to fairly and consistently applying these principles to every aspect of managing this community. Moderators who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct may be permanently removed from the moderation team.
---
### Author:  [@lexa](https://forum.cosmos.network/u/lexa)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2022, 1:49pm UTC](https://forum.cosmos.network/t/welcome-to-cosmos-forum-read-this-to-get-started/29/2 "2022-03-31T13:49:56Z")
Original (2017) General Category Description:
Top-level post edited as of 2022-03-31.
# Welcome to the Cosmos Network forums! š
If you are new to Cosmos you will want to visit these important pages to learn more about Cosmos, there are many questions that can be answered by looking through the FAQ, Milestone and Funding pages.
If you have more questions please feel free to join the discussion on an existing topic or create a new one. Please try to avoid creating many new topics that can easily be answered by the links below. Always remember to abide by the Code of conduct when posting and creating topics.
# Community links
* * *
This category is intended for general inquiries. Below you will find a list of links to other community channels :
- [Community chat](https://t.me/cosmosproject)
- [Developer chat](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#cosmos:matrix.org)
- [Validators chat](https://riot.im/app/#/room/#cosmos_validators:matrix.org)
- [Cosmos subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/cosmosnetwork/)
# Getting started
* * *
### What is Cosmos ?
Cosmos is a project with an ambitious mission: To create a network of distributed ledgers (blockchains) that will solve long-standing problems in the cryptocurrency and blockchain communities.
The Cosmos network consists of many independent, parallel blockchains, called zones, each powered by classical Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols like Tendermint. Some zones act as hubs with respect to other zones, allowing many zones to interoperate through a shared hub. The architecture is a more general application of the Bitcoin sidechains concept, using classic BFT and Proof-of-Stake algorithms, instead of Proof-of-Work.
For more infos on Cosmos, please read our [FAQ](https://cosmos.network/faq), visit our [website](https://cosmos.network) and read our [whitepaper](https://cosmos.network/whitepaper)
### What is the Cosmos Hub ?
The first blockchain in the Cosmos network is the Cosmos hub. The Cosmos hub connects to zones via the novel IBC (inter-blockchain communication) protocol and keeps a record of the total number of tokens in each zone. Because all inter-zone token transfers go through the Cosmos hub, you can transfer tokens from one zone to another, quickly and securely, without the need for a liquid exchange or a trusted third party between zones.
The Cosmos hub can connect to many different kinds of zones, as long as each zone speaks IBC. As a result, Cosmos can support a variety of currencies and scripting languages like those found in Bitcoin, Ethereum, ZeroCash, CryptoNote, and more.
### What is Tendermint ?
Tendermint is a general-purpose blockchain consensus engine. It allows developer to easily deploy blockchain applications in any language. Most blockchains in the Cosmos network will be built on top of Tendermint, since Tendermint is natively compatible with IBC (inter-blockchain communication protocol).
If you want to learn more about Tendermint, please visit the [website](https://tendermint.com/) and read the [documentation](https://tendermint.readthedocs.io/en/master/)
### I donāt really understand, can you ELI5 Cosmos for me ?
A blockchain is a decentralised ledger that allows its users to interact trustlessly with each other. Blockchains come in different flavours. There are public blockchains to exchange value like Bitcoin, public blockchains to deploy and execute decentralised programs like Ethereum and private blockchains for consortiums to share a ledger while maintaining high level of privacy and control. However, current blockchains suffer from 3 major issues : scalability, interoperability and developer experience.
- **Scaling** : Scaling is an open issue for blockchains. Both Ethereum and Bitcoin support only a fraction of the transactions seen daily on payment networks like Visa or Mastercard. Tendermint Proof-of-Stake allows blockchain to process thousands of transaction per second, and Cosmos allows blockchain to scale even further by connecting them together.
- **Interoperability** : Cosmos can interoperate with multiple other applications and cryptocurrencies thanks to the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC), something other blockchains canāt do well. By creating a new zone, you can plug any blockchain system into the Cosmos hub and pass tokens back and forth between those zones, without the need for an intermediary. These blockchains can be completely independent, meaning that they can exchange value without giving up on their sovereignty. In Cosmos, private blockchains can interoperate with both public and private blockchains.
- **Developer experience** : Developing a blockchain from scratch is a daunting task. One of Cosmos goals is to smoothen this process so that developing blockchains and decentralised applications becomes easy and fast. To that end we offer a diverse suite of tool ranging from [ABCI-applications](https://github.com/tendermint/abci) that can be deployed in any language to the [Cosmos-SDK](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk), a golang framework to deploy public proof-of-stake blockchains and [Ethermint](https://github.com/tendermint/ethermint), the Ethereum Virtual Machine deployed on top of Tendermint.
In short, Cosmos is a network of interoperable blockchains that aims to solve the current issues of the blockchain ecosystem and pave the way for the financial system of tomorrow.
# I want to learn about IBC, the ABCI, the Cosmos-SDK, Ethermint, and so much more, can you please provide me with useful links ?
* * *
But of course.
### Documentation
- [Tendermint documentation](http://tendermint.readthedocs.io/projects/tools/en/master/introduction.html)
- [Cosmos-SDK documentation](http://cosmos-sdk.readthedocs.io/en/latest/overview.html#permission)
### Developers
- [Tendermint & ABCI](https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint)
- [ABCI](https://github.com/tendermint/abci)
- [Cosmos-sdk & IBC](https://github.com/cosmos)
- [Ethermint](https://github.com/tendermint/ethermint)
### Validators
- [Validator Working Group](https://cosmos.network/validators)
- [Testnet guide](http://cosmosvalidators.com/)
### Other
Please check our [blog](https://blog.cosmos.network/) and our [twitter](https://twitter.com/cosmos) for the latest news.
# Code of conduct
* * *
We are committed to making participation in this forum a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of the level of experience, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or nationality.
Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:
The use of sexualized language or imagery
Personal attacks
Trolling or insulting/derogatory comments
Public or private harassment
Publishing otherās private information, such as physical or electronic addresses, without explicit permission
Other unethical or unprofessional conduct
Forum moderators have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject posts, comments and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, or to suspend or ban any forum member for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
By adopting this Code of Conduct, moderators commit themselves to fairly and consistently applying these principles to every aspect of managing this community. Moderators who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct may be permanently removed from the moderation team.
Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise, an unacceptable behavior may be reported by flagging the post or comment in question, contacting an individual moderator (@adrian, @chjango or @gamarin) or by messaging the moderators as a group ([@moderators](https://forum.cosmos.network/groups/moderators)). All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. Moderators are obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident.
---
### Author:  [@lexa](https://forum.cosmos.network/u/lexa)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://forum.cosmos.network/t/welcome-to-cosmos-forum-read-this-to-get-started/29/3 "2022-03-31T13:51:48Z")