What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency — no bank or government controls it. It runs on a public ledger called the blockchain, and there will only ever be 21 million coins.
Bitcoin was created in 2009 by an anonymous person (or group) under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It was the first cryptocurrency — digital money that operates without a central authority like a bank or government. Instead, transactions are verified by a network of computers worldwide and recorded permanently on the blockchain.
The blockchain is a public ledger that anyone can view. Every Bitcoin transaction ever made is recorded there. "Mining" is the process by which new transactions get added — computers compete to solve complex math problems, and the winner gets newly created Bitcoin as a reward.
Bitcoin's supply is permanently capped at 21 million coins — about 19.7 million have been mined as of early 2026. This scarcity is intentional and is a key reason many see it as "digital gold." Bitcoin's price is highly volatile. This is general information only — consult a financial advisor before investing.
Bitcoin follows a halving cycle approximately every four years (every 210,000 blocks). Each halving cuts the mining reward in half, reducing the rate of new supply. The 2012, 2016, and 2020 halvings each preceded major bull runs — after the 2020 halving, Bitcoin reached a then-all-time high of $69,000 in November 2021. The next halving occurred in April 2024.
Bitcoin differs fundamentally from other major cryptocurrencies. Ethereum's core feature is smart contracts — programmable agreements that run automatically. XRP was designed specifically for fast bank-to-bank settlement. Most altcoins (Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, etc.) have no clear technical advantage and are primarily speculative. Bitcoin's position is unique: it has the oldest network, the most mining security, and the only truly fixed, immutable supply cap.
Key facts ¶
| Created | 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto (anonymous) |
| Max supply | 21 million BTC — ever |
| Technology | Blockchain — public distributed ledger |
| No central | No bank, no government control |
| Divisible | Down to 0.00000001 BTC (1 satoshi) |
Most people assume Bitcoin transactions are anonymous. They're not — they're pseudonymous. Every transaction is recorded publicly on the blockchain. If your wallet address is ever linked to your identity (e.g., via an exchange), your transaction history becomes traceable.
