Bitcoin is the first and most popular cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009. This digital asset represents the first virtual money that is using blockchain technology that allows it to be completely decentralized. Also, this cryptocurrency is the main reason why so many people became interested in blockchain technology in the first place. Like most other virtual assets, Bitcoin has a highly volatile value on the market, with a current price of around $13,000 per unit.
It is highly affected by the demand of the investors and as a result, there was a peak in the value during 2017, when the price for 1 BTC was near $20,000. On the other side, its value during the first quarter of 2024 was around $3,500. Many factors could affect the price besides the demand, like the current economic situation in the world, a potential recession, official regulations from countries, and more.
Moreover, you have to know that there is a big difference between virtual money and cryptocurrencies, and you can read more about that topic on deadlinenews.co.uk. Furthermore, when it comes to the technology behind Bitcoin, it allows people from all around the world to make thousands of transactions each day, without the need to pay expensive fees like in the banking system. Also, many industries started implementing blockchain in their structures because it provides faster and safer transfers and expands the potential of online platforms as well. In this article, we are going to analyze more about the technology that is behind Bitcoin.
Bitcoin Platform
Source: independent.co.uk
Blockchain technology represents the background of every cryptocurrency that creates a system that is secure and decentralized. Also, this platform holds a history of each transfer where every user has its copy of the blockchain that provides him with the ability to verify each transaction. The high efficiency and security are provided with blocks of codes made by miners. Miners are people who are working on the platform by providing their hardware and software to the system. During the process, they are grouping all transfers in blocks and then create a Proof of Work, which represents a method of authentication for any transaction. After the creation, a block is being added to the blockchain, and the transaction is public after that process. Moreover, the system is collecting blocks and creates a transparent history of transfers.
Nodes
Source: crypto-news.net
All of the users in the system represent nodes. Also, each node is equal in the blockchain and a part of a peer-to-peer system. The role of every node is to verify blocks, validate, and create transactions. The main advantage of this system is that you don’t need to analyze the whole blockchain to see whether a transaction is authentic. Instead of checking the complete code, the system is using headers that are consisted of bits, pointer, nonce, and a Merkle Root. The Merkle Root is using a binary system to check the nodes in chronological order.
Another type of node is a miner. The main difference between a peer and a miner is that he can create new blocks of codes along with the standard node features. For every block of code created, a group of miners will get 6.75 BTC as a reward. Also, you have to know that there is a halving process that is happening every four years on average, where the reward is being decreased by half. For example, miners would get 12.5 BTC during 2019, while the reward in the first few years when the blockchain system was created was 50 BTC for a block of code. The main reason for halving is that there is a limited number of units that are going to be created, and that is 21 million BTC. According to some researches, the whole process of mining until the last unit is created should last for more than 100 years.
Transactions
Source: bitcoin.com
The Bitcoin transfers are only possible with e-wallets, where the system will transfer units from one wallet to another. In terms of security, every user has a unique private key that he should never share in public because that is the only way for someone to steal your funds when you are using an e-wallet. When it comes to transactions, the main parts of it are transaction fees, inputs, outputs, transaction ID, and the value of the transaction.
The advantage of transfer over the blockchain is that they are much faster than standard baking systems. Another great feature is anonymity. The platform is using the CoinJoin feature, where the system is joining all of the data about transfers in one place, making it much more difficult for anyone to find particular participants in the transaction. Moreover, the platform is using a special gossip protocol to implement the data of every transfer into the whole system.
Main Benefits of Blockchain Technology
Source: forbes.com
This platform was made by the same person who created Bitcoin. However, many other companies realized the potential this system can have. Today, we have thousands of cryptocurrencies with a wide range of value and potential. Also, we can see that many industries are finding ways to include this technology and use its advantages. One of the reasons why companies might start using these platforms is high transparency that can allow companies to have improved management and better workflow. With the introduction of smart contracts, there is no need to deal with papers anymore since you can create a valid contract or any other document in a digital form without any chance for it to be edited or stolen.
Nevertheless, blockchain can have a huge effect on the monetary system in the whole world because companies can avoid banks for transfers and use much faster and cheaper option. Also, the level of security provided by this technology significantly reduces any chances for cyber-attacks and the stealing of data. According to current trends, it is more likely that many countries will soon start with the implementation of digital currencies as valid methods of payment. Furthermore, trading with cryptocurrencies is attractive to investors in recent years, and, according to some experts, prices of popular digital currencies will continue to rise in the future.
