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Bitcoin BTC
BTC
100,082
$
0.46 %
Change 24h
Genesis
January 3, 2009
Market Cap
$ 1,980,771,946,969
Volume 24h
$ 58,885,466,640
Circulating Supply
19,790,568
Total Supply
21,000,000
Website
BTC
$
1D
7D
1M
3M
6M
1Y
All
# | Exchange | Pair | Price | Volume 24h |
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Description
Bitcoin is the first successful internet money based on peer-to-peer technology; whereby no central bank or authority is involved in the transaction and production of the Bitcoin currency. It was created by an anonymous individual/group under the name, Satoshi Nakamoto. The source code is available publicly as an open source project, anybody can look at it and be part of the developmental process.
Bitcoin is changing the way we see money as we speak. The idea was to produce a means of exchange, independent of any central authority, that could be transferred electronically in a secure, verifiable and immutable way. It is a decentralized peer-to-peer internet currency making mobile payment easy, very low transaction fees, protects your identity, and it works anywhere all the time with no central authority and banks.
Bitcoin is designed to have only 21 million BTC ever created, thus making it a deflationary currency. Bitcoin uses the SHA-256 hashing algorithm with an average transaction confirmation time of 10 minutes. Miners today are mining Bitcoin using ASIC chip dedicated to only mining Bitcoin, and the hash rate has shot up to peta hashes.
Being the first successful online cryptography currency, Bitcoin has inspired other alternative currencies such as Litecoin, Peercoin, Primecoin, and so on.
The cryptocurrency then took off with the innovation of the turing-complete smart contract by Ethereum which led to the development of other amazing projects such as EOS, Tron, and even crypto-collectibles such as CryptoKitties.
Bitcoin (BTC)
Introduction
The following is a beginner's guide to Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which isn't managed by a bank or agency but in which transactions are recorded in the blockchain that is public and contains records of each and every transaction.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which isn't managed by a bank or agency but in which transactions are recorded in the blockchain that is public and contains records of each and every transaction.
The blockchains are not just used for digital currencies like Bitcoin, but can also be used for other data such as contracts, property deeds or even identities.
Bitcoin (BTC) is the first decentralized digital currency, created in 2009.
You can think of Bitcoin as a currency, or you can think of it as being like a stock. It’s essentially a digital asset that has value and is traded on the open market. That value fluctuates based on supply and demand, like any other commodity.
Bitcoin was created in 2009 by an unknown programmer or group of programmers using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It functioned as a peer-to-peer virtual currency until 2010 when it became open-source software with no central authority managing the currency or issuing new bitcoins.
Bitcoins are managed by decentralized servers called “nodes” rather than banks or government agencies (though some have tried), which makes them difficult to regulate and tax. Transactions are recorded publicly in what is known as blockchain technology; this means everyone can see how much money is being sent from one account to another but not who owns each account—unless they voluntarily disclose their personal information such as email address, phone number etcetera which may be necessary if someone wants to purchase something online from them using PayPal for example).
No one knows who created Bitcoin, or at least not conclusively.
You've probably heard that Bitcoin was created by an anonymous person or group of people under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has never been proven, and some believe he doesn't exist at all. There is no conclusive evidence that Nakamoto is a real person or group of people—but if you'd like to read an interesting theory about who he might be, I recommend this article by Bruce Wagner in which he identifies several key clues in the 2008 whitepaper and suggests that the true Satoshi may have been a wealthy Japanese family living outside Tokyo since the early 1990s.
The creators of Bitcoin designed the system so there would only ever be a limited supply of bitcoins to be mined (a maximum of 21 million).
The creators of Bitcoin designed the system so there would only ever be a limited supply of bitcoins to be mined (a maximum of 21 million). This is an important aspect for many cryptocurrency investors, as it means that no one can make more coins after this point, which means that their value will never drop.
However, there are several other cryptocurrencies out there whose supply is not capped in any way, which means that their prices may go up or down dramatically at any given time.
The system is peer-to-peer, and transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary.
Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer payment system and digital currency introduced as open source software in 2009. The name "Bitcoin" is a compound of the words bit and coin. It is commonly referred to with terms like: digital currency, digital cash or cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin uses distributed ledger technology to operate without central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoins are created as a reward for payment processing work in which users offer their computing power to verify and record payments into the public ledger (a collection of past transactions). They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services. As of February 2019, over 1 million merchants accept bitcoin as payment.[4]
Bitcoins can be obtained by mining for them or purchasing them from exchange platforms online (e.g., Coinbase). They can also be bought directly from other users via peer-to-peer marketplaces such as LocalBitcoins or Paxful where you can buy bitcoin using cash deposited at your local bank or coins that you already own(ed) but no longer use anymore (like old gift cards).
Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining.
Bitcoin mining is the process of verifying and adding transactions to the public ledger, known as the blockchain.
Mining requires an investment in computer hardware and electricity.
Mining bitcoin occurs when a computer solves difficult math problems that create new bitcoins or earn their owner transaction fees and newly minted coins.
It takes computers years to mine a single block, but once they're successful, they can immediately start another one.
In June 2011, Bitcoin suffered a $3 loss in value within minutes on the Mt. Gox exchange after hackers breached its systems. It reached parity with the US Dollar in February 2011.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which means it's not regulated or controlled by any bank or government. Instead, transactions are recorded in the blockchain that is public and contains records of each and every transaction. It was created in 2009 by an individual or group that goes by the name Satoshi Nakamoto (although it's likely this person does not exist). The first bitcoin transaction took place between Satoshi Nakamoto and Hal Finney on January 12, 2009; they traded 10 BTC for two Papa John's pizzas. Today, you can buy everything from coffee at Starbucks to computing services on Amazon with BTC.
In late 2013 bitcoin achieved a peak price of $1,242.
In late 2013 bitcoin achieved a price peak of $1,242. But since then, its prices have been on a steady decline.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that can be used for buying things electronically if you have enough of them (though it's not always easy to find places where you can spend bitcoins). It is created by people using computers to solve mathematical problems called "blocks," which are verified by other users' computers on the network. However, this verification process takes time—the more blocks are added after yours, the harder it becomes to verify your block and add new ones while staying on top.
This means that there's only so much bitcoin being produced each day: 25 new bitcoins per 10 minutes are mined at most every 10 minutes; they'll max out at 21 million total in 2140 (so don't worry about running out anytime soon!). People can buy or sell their bitcoin using various exchanges like Coinbase—just like how you might buy or sell stocks online—and those prices fluctuate based on supply and demand for those specific currencies within those exchanges' borders (hence why some countries see higher prices than others).
China has banned financial institutions from handling bitcoin transactions.
China has banned financial institutions from handling bitcoin transactions.
If you're new to the world of cryptocurrency, this may be a bit confusing. What does China have to do with bitcoin? And how is it that they can ban something as decentralized and open-source as Bitcoin?
It all comes down to what's called the "Great Firewall of China." This is basically a huge firewall that blocks people in China from accessing certain websites or services over the internet. For example, if you were living in China and wanted access to Twitter or Facebook, these sites would likely be blocked by your internet provider at some point because of their content being deemed inappropriate for Chinese audiences (which means censorship).
It’s legal to buy and sell bitcoin in most countries, including the United States and China. Some countries have banned or restricted its use. India recently outlawed private cryptocurrencies but said it doesn’t want to ban blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is legal in most countries, including the United States and China. Some countries have banned or restricted its use. India recently outlawed private cryptocurrencies but said it doesn’t want to ban blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies.
Conclusion
There are many ways to buy bitcoin. The most common way is through exchanges, which allow you to buy and sell the currency in exchange for other currencies or traditional money. You can also use a digital wallet to store your cryptocurrency, though some wallets allow you to trade cryptocurrencies with each other.