Launched in 2009, Bitcoin was the first-ever digital coin that marked the beginning of a cryptocurrency era. It is a decentralized digital currency, not controlled by any authority like a bank. Instead, Bitcoin’s electronic system is powered by a peer-to-peer network where the currency is directly traded and exchanged between users.
A web of thousands of computers verifies the Bitcoin transactions by recording each one of them on a public distributed ledger, accessible to everyone. Bitcoin has established its value as a change-resistant, secure, and decentralized payment protocol.
It is noteworthy that this digital coin has significantly grown in worth by more than 460,000% since its launch. Bitcoin, which once traded below $10, is currently hovering around $46,000. Although the pricing of Bitcoin depends on a variety of factors, including its fixed 21 million supply and corresponding demand, its value is determined by the high-value people give it.
The working mechanism of Bitcoin
The operational technology of Bitcoin is the Blockchain protocol that contains a string of data blocks with information about each Bitcoin transaction. A new block is added to the chain through the mining process when a new transaction is broadcasted. Once the new block is minted, the latest information becomes available to all network participants. In other words, the data gets imprinted on a public ledger.
This distributed ledger technology makes it almost impossible to amend the already-present data, due to the hashing of all previous blocks. Thus, tampering with any data would necessitate the alteration of all the previous blocks, which is impractical without taking control of 51% of the whole system.
What are the primary uses of Bitcoin?
Like fiat currencies, Bitcoin can be used for purchasing various items; however, currently, only a limited number of merchants are accepting it as a mode of payment. Moreover, many services allow the linking of debit cards to your crypto wallet, making it possible to use Bitcoin with a debit or credit card.
Besides these applications, Bitcoin trading and HODLing (in other words, long-term holding) are the two most popular use cases of this digital currency, attributable to its high volatility and liquidity. Some prefer to seek financial benefits by learning how to trade Bitcoin, while others choose to hold it long-term, as they believe its worth is set to significantly increase over time.
Bitcoin mining with its subsequent rewards is also one of the most popular ways to take advantage of this digital currency.
Proof-of-work – The basis of Bitcoin mining
Mining is the process by which new blocks are added to the Bitcoin blockchain, and proof of work is the consensus mechanism that miners follow to verify transactions and maintain the integrity of the network. According to the PoW protocol, miners must solve complex computational puzzles to validate transactions. As an incentive, the system grants them block rewards to appreciate their efforts in supporting the network.
Proof of work ensures the viability of the Bitcoin system by checking that there is no double-spending of coins and that all the transactions are consistent with previous information. The decentralized blockchain technology, with its proof of work protocol, makes it possible for the Bitcoin network to run smoothly and securely, without any central control.
