What are public blockchains?

Public blockchains are open networks that allow anyone to participate in the network i.e. public blockchain is permissionless. In this type of blockchain anyone can join the network and read, write, or participate within the blockchain.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are both examples of public blockchains. Anyone in the network can access the chain and add blocks.

As it stands, there are over 2,000 cryptocurrencies in the open market that uses blockchain for a wide variety of applications and use cases. Before delving into the top 5 public blockchains in the crypto market, it is important to first understand the different types of cryptocurrencies.