Blockchain profile
Bitcoin BTC
Bitcoin is the first large-scale public crypto network. It is mainly used as scarce digital money, a settlement layer and a market reference for crypto traders.
Neutral information, not financial advice. Updated : 2026-06-03
Key characteristics
- Native asset: BTC, with a programmed maximum supply of 21 million units.
- Open peer-to-peer network: transactions are verified by nodes and grouped into blocks.
- Target block time around 10 minutes; practical finality depends on the number of confirmations required.
Use cases and ecosystem
- Market tracking: BTC remains the dominant reference pair and benchmark across many crypto dashboards.
- Transfer and holding: commonly used as a digital reserve asset, without any yield promise.
- Infrastructure: explorers, wallets, custody tools, Lightning Network and on-chain analytics.
Consensus and security
Bitcoin relies on SHA-256 proof of work. Miners commit computing power to propose blocks, while nodes enforce protocol rules.
Fees and performance
Fees vary with mempool congestion and the priority selected by the user. Confirmations can be slower during high demand.