Technology
What Is the Bitcoin Mempool? Why Transactions Wait
The mempool is where valid bitcoin transactions wait for a block. Learn why a payment can stay pending and how replace-by-fee and child-pays-for-parent help.
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Technology
Bitcoin Mining Pools Explained: How Miners Share the Work and the Reward
A mining pool combines many miners' computing power and splits rewards by contribution. Learn how shares, payout schemes and fees work, and what to check.
Technology
What Is a Blockchain? Bitcoin's Ledger Explained
A blockchain is a shared record of blocks, each linked to the one before it by a hash. See how Bitcoin's works, what it does well and where it falls short.
Technology
Bitcoin Forks Explained: Soft Forks, Hard Forks and Chain Splits
A fork is a change to Bitcoin's rules or a split of its chain. Learn how soft and hard forks differ, what happened in 2017, and how Bitcoin changes in practice.
Technology
What Is a UTXO? How Bitcoin Tracks Ownership
Bitcoin has no account balances. Learn what a UTXO is, how change and fees work in a simple example, and why unspent outputs matter for privacy.
Technology
What Is Taproot? Bitcoin's 2021 Upgrade Explained
Taproot is a Bitcoin upgrade that took effect in November 2021. Learn what Schnorr signatures and hidden spending conditions add, and what bc1p means for you.
Technology
Bitcoin's Energy Use: What the Debate Is Really About
Bitcoin mining uses electricity by design. Learn why the total is hard to measure, what critics and supporters argue, and how to read energy claims.
Technology
What Is a Bitcoin Node? What Running One Means
A Bitcoin node downloads and checks every block and transaction itself. Learn how nodes differ from miners and wallets, and what running a full node takes.
Technology
Bitcoin Hash Rate and Mining Difficulty Explained
Hash rate is the combined computing power of Bitcoin miners, and difficulty keeps blocks about ten minutes apart. Learn how both work and what they mean.
Technology
Is Bitcoin Mining Legal? What the Rules Cover
Is bitcoin mining legal in the US? No federal ban exists, but utility, zoning, tax and business rules apply. Here is what each covers and where to check.
Technology
How Long Does It Take to Mine a Bitcoin?
How long it takes to mine a bitcoin depends on your share of the network's computing power. Learn the math, why pools exist and why cloud mining is risky.
Technology
Could Quantum Computers Break Bitcoin? An Honest Explainer
A large enough quantum computer could in theory forge Bitcoin signatures, but none can today. See what is at risk, what is not, and what could be done.