Networks
The original blockchain, and still the one everything else is measured against. Bitcoin exists to move value without asking anyone for permission. It does one job and it has done that job without interruption since 2009.
Live market data
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What Bitcoin is for
Bitcoin exists to move value without asking anyone for permission. It does one job and it has done that job without interruption since 2009.
Technical summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer | Layer 1 |
| Launched | 2009 |
| Consensus | Proof of work |
| Throughput | About 7 |
| Finality | About 60 minutes for 6 blocks |
| Native token | BTC pays the transaction fee and rewards miners |
Block explorers
An explorer lets you verify any transaction, address or contract on this network yourself. Learning to read one is the fastest way to stop taking anyone's word for anything.
Wallets that support it
What to be aware of
- Validator concentration varies widely between layer 1s and is worth checking rather than assuming.
- Newer chains have shorter track records under real adversarial pressure.
- Crypto assets are volatile. Drawdowns of seventy percent or more have happened on every network in this list, including the largest.
- Sending to an address on the wrong network can lose funds permanently. Always send a small test amount first.
Nothing on this page is investment advice. We describe how networks work, not whether you should buy anything.
Where to go next
New to Bitcoin?
We can get you set up with the right wallet, funded, and through a first transaction on this network in about an hour, on a screen share.