In technical terms, NEAR is a layer-one, sharded, proof-of-stake blockchain built with usability in mind.
Layer-1 means NEAR is the foundation that supports everything else built on it. It keeps all the transaction records safe and unchangeable which keeps the network secure and trustworthy.
Sharded means the network is broken into pieces that work in parallel. This helps NEAR process transactions quickly and efficiently.
Proof-of-stake uses less electricity compared with other blockchains which use proof-of-work. Users show they own NEAR tokens to help run the network. This makes it cheaper and lets more people use it.
