# What is Curve?

Source: [https://docs.curve.finance/user/introduction](https://docs.curve.finance/user/introduction)

Curve is a decentralized exchange (DEX) powered by automated market makers (AMMs) designed for efficient trading of stablecoins and volatile assets. Built on Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains, Curve delivers deep liquidity for traders and peace of mind for liquidity providers through passive and fully automated concentrated liquidity.

Additionally, Curve developed crvUSD, a decentralized CDP USD stablecoin, and Llamalend, a permissionless lending protocol. Both use LLAMMA to convert collateral gradually across a price range rather than liquidating at one specific price. This can give borrowers more time to act, but conversions incur losses and can still end in full liquidation.

DEX

The core liquidity engine of DeFi — delivering deep, decentralized markets for stable and correlated assets with unmatched efficiency.

Llamalend

Advanced onchain lending with LLAMMA, which converts collateral gradually across a price range and gives borrowers time to manage risk.

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Check out the other sections of the documentation for technical and protocol information:

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Build On Curve

Learn everything about how to build on Curve: From deploying pools or lending markets to establishing, growing and maintaining deep on-chain liquidity for assets through the core mechanics of Curve.

](https://docs.curve.finance/protocol/why-curve.md)

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Developer Documentation

Comprehensive documentation of all smart contracts — learn how they work, what they do, and how to integrate them into your applications.

](https://docs.curve.finance/developer/documentation-overview.md)