what is bitcoin

The basic understanding of anything begins with a definition; so what is Bitcoin? Well, Bitcoin is the pioneer of cryptocurrencies. It is the most valuable and renowned one among the entire cryptocurrency world. Though there are some controversies which says that the only existing cryptocurrency is Bitcoin and others are the tokens called Altcoins. However, Bitcoin is not an alternative of any currencies; rather it is a record of a transaction between two parties.

what is bitcoin

History of Bitcoin

The history begins with the creator of Bitcoin. An unidentified identity named Satoshi Nakamoto is the creator of Bitcoin. Now, Satoshi Nakamoto is an individual programmer or a team of programmers, never been discovered. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the true identity of the founder but none ever come to a confirmed conclusion.

Functioning of Bitcoin

Bitcoin functions through blockchain technology. The blockchain is a digital ledger for recording transactions stored individually in a block of data. All the data turns into a chain form of blocks and becomes a blockchain. It is a decentralized system without any governance of any single personnel or institution.

Storing Bitcoin

Like physical currencies, storing Bitcoins also require wallets but this wallet works differently than the conventional wallet for your cash. It stores a private key rather than storing Bitcoin tokens. The private key enables the access of Bitcoins which is stored on the Bitcoin blockchain. So you can receive your Bitcoins to your wallet passing through a public key or genuinely known as Bitcoin wallet address.

Acquiring Bitcoin

You can find several ways to acquire Bitcoin tokens. The most popular method is to purchase them from cryptocurrency exchanges. These exchanges will allow you to trade your fiat money for instance USD or EUR or any other cryptocurrencies for Bitcoin barter. You can try another method. This involves direct purchase from the buyers and sellers on a peer-to-peer exchange platform just like LocalBitcoins. Even you can find Bitcoin ATMs in larger cities to give you the opportunities for buying and selling Bitcoins. Lastly, you can go for a personal meeting with a trader and trade Bitcoin for cash.

Mining Bitcoin

Bitcoin mining is the practice of verifying the transactions of Bitcoin engaging power computers. This operates with a machine referred to a node along with a driving force behind the Bitcoin network. As soon as a Bitcoin transaction is made the Bitcoin miners will compete of crunching the transaction data down to a ‘hash’. The hash is basically a string of code containing all the information relating to the transaction. Once a miner generates a hash, the Bitcoin holder gets a reward for their efforts.

Advantages of Bitcoin

Bitcoin has a good reputation because of its security and cheaper transfer capability. The decentralized nature of the cryptocurrency makes it totally difficult to hack. The transactions are verified by the use of consensus from the various nodes on the network. If any of a node becomes corrupted or manipulated, the entire system needs to be rectified for the mistake.

Disadvantages of Bitcoin

The one and biggest issue which you can face in the Bitcoin network is the lack of scalability. Even though Bitcoin works fine for most of the users but there are some huge gaps between Bitcoin and the likes of Visa and MasterCard. The Bitcoin network has the ability to handle seven transactions in every second compared to any Visa transactions which is 40,000 transactions in a second. Also, there are some problems in the scalability and decentralization lead to a scramble solution for the community.

what is bitcoin
Frederik Nielsen
Frederik Nielsen

I’m a freelance writer and full-time curious person. My main interests are philosophy, politics, art, culture, science, and how they’re all interlinked. When I’m not writing, I’m fronting a band, producing records, and making videos. I’m also currently working on launching a YouTube channel that will focus on culture and politics. I think blockchain technology is fascinating because of the huge potential it has to revolutionise not only the financial sector, but society as a whole.

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