If you aren’t an expert coder but have been a keen armchair observer of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and every other increasingly niche cryptocurrency, you might be wondering if it’s feasible to create your own.

In short: yes. But there are quite a few different options to consider—and caveats to keep in mind—before you dive in.

Know the Difference Between a Coin and a Token

First, it’s important to understand the difference between coins and tokens. Both are cryptocurrencies, but while a coin—Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin—operates on its own blockchain, a token lives on top of an existing blockchain infrastructure like Ethereum. A blockchain is, at its simplest, a record of transactions made on and secured by a network. So while coins have their own independent transaction ledgers, tokens rely on the underlying network’s technology to verify and secure transactions and ownership. In general, coins are used to transfer wealth, while tokens can represent a “contract” for almost anything, from physical objects to event tickets to loyalty points.

Tokens are often released through a crowdsale known as an initial coin offering (ICO) in exchange for existing coins, which in turn fund projects like gaming platforms or digital wallets. You can still get publicly available tokens after an ICO has ended—similar to buying coins—using the underlying currency to make the purchase.

Anyone can create a token and run a crowdsale, but ICOs have become increasingly murky as creators take investors’ money and run. The Securities and Exchange Commission is cracking down on ICOs and moving to treat tokens as securities that, like stocks, must be regulated. The SEC cautions investors to do their research before buying tokens launched in an ICO.

At the time of writing, CoinMarketCap lists 895 coins and 679 tokens available on public exchanges. Not all tokens made it to exchanges, however — Etherscan, which provides Ethereum analytics, has more than 71,000 token contracts in its archive. While the crypto market is volatile, experts believe that it will continue to mature as more people adopt the idea

Build Your Own Blockchain—or Fork an Existing One

Both of these methods require quite a bit of technical knowledge—or the help of a savvy developer. Because coins are on their own blockchains, you’ll have to either build a blockchain or take an existing one and modify it for your new coin. The former takes serious coding skills and even though tutorials exist to walk you through the process, they assume a certain knowledge level, and you don’t finish with a fully functioning coin.

Alternatively, you can fork an existing blockchain by taking the open-source code found on Github—Litecoin, for example—making a few changes, and launching a new blockchain with a new name (like Garlicoin). Again, this requires you to understand the code so you know what to modify and why.