First install MetaMask and create a blockchain wallet. Then choose a development framework like Hardhat or Foundry. Start by building a simple smart contract tutorial to learn Solidity basics.
Public keys are shared addresses for receiving crypto, while private keys act as secret passwords to control accounts. Never share your private key - it grants full access to your funds.
Gas fees pay miners for processing transactions. They're calculated in gwei (microeth) based on network congestion. You can check current pricing with Etherscan's gas tracker before submitting transactions.
ERC tokens follow Ethereum's token standards. Common types include ERC-20 (fungible tokens), ERC-721 (NFTs), and ERC-1155 (multi-token). They enable standardized interactions between dapps and crypto assets.