Blockchain-based trading venues, so-called decentralized exchanges, are at the heart of the decentralized finance revolution. Automated market makers, simple computer programs on the blockchain, administer liquidity and set the terms of trade. This article summarizes the key mechanisms behind these new markets, how they differ from traditional financial markets, how liquidity is provided, how prices are set, and how liquidity providers get compensated. We include a short guide on how to understand blockchain data and use these data for academic research.
Lehar et al. (2026) studied this question.