Bitcoin
The first cryptocurrency and the network most others are still compared against — its purpose, its fixed supply, its proof-of-work security model, and how it differs from the many designs that followed it.
8 guides in this category, ordered from beginner to advanced.
Bitcoin guides
What Is Bitcoin?
Understand Bitcoin's purpose, supply, transactions, and proof-of-work security.
6 min read · 11 related concepts
Bitcoin Mining Explained
How Bitcoin mining actually works — the role of computing power, block rewards, and why mining secures the network.
6 min read · 14 related concepts
Understanding Bitcoin's Halving Cycle
What Bitcoin's halving actually does, why it happens on a schedule, and how it fits into Bitcoin's broader monetary design.
5 min read · 3 related concepts
Bitcoin's Monetary Policy Explained
How Bitcoin's fixed supply and issuance schedule work, and why they were designed this way.
6 min read · 1 related concept
Understanding Bitcoin Transaction Fees
How Bitcoin transaction fees are determined, and why they can vary significantly.
5 min read · 3 related concepts
The History of Bitcoin's Major Forks
A factual overview of the significant protocol upgrades and contentious splits in Bitcoin's history.
6 min read · 1 related concept
The Lightning Network Explained
A plain-language introduction to Bitcoin's Lightning Network and the problem it addresses.
6 min read · 5 related concepts
Bitcoin Script Explained
A plain-language introduction to the simple scripting language behind Bitcoin transactions.
6 min read · 3 related concepts
Key terms in this category
UTXO
Read the UTXO glossary definition
Satoshi
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Bitcoin Improvement Proposal
Read the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal glossary definition
Bitcoin
Read the Bitcoin glossary definition
Proof of Work
Read the Proof of Work glossary definition
Block Reward
Read the Block Reward glossary definition
Nonce
Read the Nonce glossary definition
Mining
Read the Mining glossary definition
Mining Pool
Read the Mining Pool glossary definition
Hash Rate
Read the Hash Rate glossary definition
Difficulty Adjustment
Read the Difficulty Adjustment glossary definition
Coinbase Transaction
Read the Coinbase Transaction glossary definition
Orphan Block
Read the Orphan Block glossary definition
ASIC
Read the ASIC glossary definition
SHA-256
Read the SHA-256 glossary definition
Halving
Read the Halving glossary definition
SegWit
Read the SegWit glossary definition
Taproot
Read the Taproot glossary definition
Light Client
Read the Light Client glossary definition
State Channel
Read the State Channel glossary definition
Lightning Network
Read the Lightning Network glossary definition
Payment Channel
Read the Payment Channel glossary definition
Hashed Timelock Contract (HTLC)
Read the Hashed Timelock Contract (HTLC) glossary definition
OP_RETURN
Read the OP_RETURN glossary definition
Covenant (Bitcoin Script)
Read the Covenant (Bitcoin Script) glossary definition