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What is bitcoin mining and how it works in 2022

Bitcoin was launched in 2009, and since then cryptocurrency miners have produced almost 20 million BTC. Cryptolife experts explain how bitcoin mining works and why it will end soon.

What Is Bitcoin Mining?

Mining stands for releasing new bitcoin tokens (BTC) by verifying transactions in the cryptocurrency network. For mining, you need a network of specialized computers generating “blocks” on the blockchain. A blockchain is a distributed database where sets of information are collected in groups (blocks), interlinked with each other.
Contributing their computing power, miners on the network are rewarded with some coins.

So mining helps to maintain and secure the blockchain, the blockchain awards miners with coins, and this cycle moves the whole crypto network.

Not all tokens can be mined.

For instance, Bitcoin, Ethereum (for now), Monero, Zcash, Dogecoin, Ravecoin, and other coins can be mined. But many cryptocurrencies already exist on the market in full or their developers are gradually adding new coins.

Moreover, bitcoin tokens can’t be mined in-home or on semi-professional computers, because blocks on its’ blockchain are very hard to generate. To get some profit from bitcoin mining you need to buy expensive high-performance equipment.

● Mining let you earn cryptocurrency without spending money on it;
● Bitcoin miners receiving bitcoin tokens (BTC) as a reward for computing “blocks” of verified transactions on a blockchain;
● The probability that a miner will discover the solution for the certain block is related to the portion of the network’s total mining power;
● For setting up a minimal mining rig and earning money you need either a graphics processing unit (GPU) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Why Do Bitcoin Need Miners?

Bitcoin network needs miners to record and verify transactions. This verification is necessary to solve the main problem of any digital currency – double-spending.

The problem with double-spending lies in verifying the precise amount of digital money you are sending/receiving and making the transaction right. In the digital world, it’s hard to tell what’s fake and what’s not, so any digital transaction can be falsified.

To solve this, Bitcoin creators came up with a system of interactions based on the detection. This protocol includes every transaction in a shared database – blockchain.

This technology practically eliminates the possibility of reusing already spent funds and solving the problem of double-spending.

Miners are needed to verify all transactions, and they are providing their computational powers in exchange for a reward. This concept is also called Proof of Work (PoW).

PoW is a form of cryptographic proof in which one party (the prover) proves to others (the verifiers) that a certain amount of a specific computational effort has been expended. Verifiers can subsequently confirm this expenditure with minimal effort on their part.

An alternative to this concept is the concept of Proof of Stake (PoS), which is used in other cryptocurrencies. PoS protocols are a class of consensus mechanisms for blockchains that work by selecting validators in proportion to their quantity of holdings in the associated cryptocurrency. This is done to avoid the computational cost of proof of work schemes.

Will Miners Generate New Bitcoins Forever?

No, they won’t.

For now, miners already mined almost 19 million bitcoin tokens out of a total amount of 21 million. The creator of Bitcoin – Satoshi Nakamoto – was the first miner, but all the other millions of tokens were generated by crypto-enthusiasts around the world for the last 13 years.

The Bitcoin network will still be functioning without miners, but then new coins will not appear. When all BTC tokens are mined miners will continue to validate transactions to support the network and will be rewarded with a commission fee.

In addition to being paid with newly mined bitcoins, miners can also vote on proposals for changes to the bitcoin network. This is called the Bitcoin Improvement Protocol (BIP).

That means that miners have some influence on the decision-making process on issues such as forking the bitcoin blockchain. The more computing power you have, the more votes you can cast for such initiatives.

How Big is a Miner’s Reward?

The first block reward in 2009 was 50 BTC. In 2012 for this you could get 25 BTC, in 2016 – 12,5 BTC, and at the beginning of May 11, 2020, the reward decreased to 6,25 BTC.

Thus, the reward for mining bitcoin blocks is halved every four years. This process is called “halving” and the next halving will occur in 792 days from now. Given the bitcoin price of almost $40,000 as of March 10, 2022, you could get about $250,000 for a new block mined.

However, it is very difficult to get such a reward, and most often the reward for a mined block is divided between several miners. Using the CryptoCompare service, you can calculate how many bitcoins you can get, given the power of your mining rig.

What Do You Need To Mine Bitcoin Or Ethereum?

At the beginning of the Satoshi Era, miners could mine bitcoin blocks on a regular home computer. But everything has changed with the increase in the complexity of mining.

When more computing power is used to mine bitcoins – the mining difficulty level increases. This is necessary for stable block production.

Less processing power means less complexity. With today’s standard network mode, a home computer will most likely not find anything when mining bitcoin.

So bitcoin mining requires enormous capacities and special hardware (application-specific integrated circuits – ASICs), but other cryptocurrencies are still more welcoming to casual miners.

It is possible to mine Ethereum with GPUs that can be found in modern gaming laptops or PCs. And this kind of mining is still quite profitable.

How Mining Works?

Mining starts when computers located in different parts of the world solve mathematical algorithms. As we know, all bitcoin transactions are recorded in a public transaction log. Miners’ job is to find a single hash (the main component of a blockchain algorithm) from millions of combinations.

Also, miners should find a single hash that matches all new transactions and a secret key, which will provide the miner reward. Miners simultaneously compete for a reward, trying to be the first to guess the hash. As soon as the hash is guessed, the block with all transactions is closed and the miners move on to the next one.

The hash that the miners are looking for consists of the hash of the previous block, the sum of the hashes of the transactions in the last 10 minutes, and a random number that the miners change. Changing these digits determines the complexity of finding the hash. All the digits are changed once in 2016 closed blocks and are automatically selected so that the calculation of each next 2016 block takes 2 weeks.

After 6 blocks in a row are calculated, the money transfers included by the miners in the very first of these blocks are considered confirmed.

So miners can be compared to the torrent distributor, who ensures the operation of the p2p network and allow anyone to download any content.

Bitcoin “distributors” keep the monetary system running: they conduct transactions and maintain an “arrangement” about a single state of the entire network.

What Is a ’64-Digit Hexadecimal Number’ And How It Relates To Bitcoin Mining?

0000000000000000057fcc708cf0130d95e27c5819203e9f967ac56e4df598ee. This combination consists of 64 digits (numbers and letters). Word “Hexadecimal” has 16 in base, because “hex” comes from the Greek word for “six” and “deca” comes from the Greek word for “10”.

In hexadecimal, each digit has 16 possible choices. But our numerical system only offers 10 ways to represent numbers (from zero to nine). That’s why you need to add letters, specifically a, b, c, d, e, and f.

If you are mining bitcoin, you do not need to calculate the total value of this 64-digit number (hash). The miners’ job is to guess the target hash by randomly generating as many “one-shot codes” as quickly as possible.

The one-time code is the key to generating those 64-bit hex numbers. In bitcoin mining, the one-time code’s size is 32 bits, which is much smaller than the hash size of 256 bits. The first miner whose one-time code generates a hash that is less than or equal to the target hash receives credit for completing that block and a 6,25 BTC award.

How Mining Pools Can Help Guess The Target Hash?

For guessing the target hash you need to get a superfast mining rig. Or join a mining pool, which is more realistic.

A mining pool – is a group of miners who connect their computing power and share the mined bitcoins. A disproportionate number of blocks are mined by pools rather than individual miners.

The difficulty level of the most recent blocks now is around 27.55 trillion, which means that the chance of any particular one-time code producing a hash below the target is one in 27.55 trillion. The chances are very small if you work alone, even with an extremely powerful mining rig.

Generally, mining pools are operated by third parties and coordinate groups of miners. By working together in a pool and sharing the payouts among all participants, miners can get a steady flow of bitcoin starting the day they activate their miners.

What Hardware Can Mine Bitcoin in 2022?

Bitcoin mining is possible only if you acquire ASICs or similar heavily powered computer machinery. These processors are designed exclusively for mining cryptocurrencies. ASIC hardware is much more powerful than conventional CPUs or GPUs. Every few months the developers of this equipment increase its power and energy efficiency by releasing new microcircuits.

Bitcoin mining facilities cost thousands of dollars at least. And they are power hungry.

What Hardware Can Mine Ethereum in 2022?

Any gaming graphic card can mine Ethereum now, the only requirement is at least 6 GB of video memory.

Ethereum Merge 2022 – Proof-of-Stake – What You Need To Know

Ethereum developers are working on an upgrade to the network called “Ethereum 2.0.” This upgrade will change the consensus mechanism for Ethereum from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. The first phase of the upgrade began in December 2020 and the final phases are planned for periods throughout 2021 and 2022.

While it’s still possible to mine ETH so long as the network uses proof-of-work, doing so will no longer be possible with proof-of-stake. Instead, only those who hold large quantities of ETH will be able to stake their tokens and become “validators.”

Validators will have a chance at winning the next block rewards, with the highest odds going to those with the greatest amount of ETH staked.

Is Crypto Mining Still Profitable in 2022?

Yes, Ethereum mining is still profitable, but only until The Merge happens. It is planned for June 2022.

Some other coins might still be profitable for mining after that, but you have to wait and see.

Anyways, analysts strongly advise not to buy new equipment for Ethereum mining. As for Bitcoin, the future looks much brighter.

If you are able to buy expensive ASICs and cover the electricity costs, than it is still possible to make profit from Bitcoin mining.

What Are The Risks of Mining?

The main mining risk is financial losses. You can buy mining assets for tens of thousands of dollars but not get a return on your investment. This risk can be reduced by joining mining pools.

Another potential risk is associated with the growth of bitcoin mining (as well as other PoW systems). Although the efficiency of the ASIC chip has increased dramatically, network growth has outpaced most technological advances.

Moreover, there are raised concerns about the environmental impact and carbon footprint of bitcoin mining.

How Much Energy Bitcoin Mining Needs?

The process of creating Bitcoin to spend or trade consumes around 91 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, more than is used by Finland, a nation with a population of about 5.5 million.

Can I Mine Bitcoin Legally?

This depends on your geographic location. The concept of Bitcoin itself threatens the dominance of fiat currencies and government control over the financial markets.

Because of this Bitcoin is completely illegal in different countries.

Bitcoin is banned in such countries as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Dominican Republic, North Macedonia, Qatar, Vietnam, and others.

But the list of countries where Bitcoin ownership and mining are legal is much longer.

Does Crypto Mining Damage Your Computing Equipment?

As with any other very resource-intensive process, bitcoin mining can put viable pressure on your GPU or other hardware. Sometimes GPUs can just blow out and mining rigs burst into flames.

So to make it safe you need to run your rigs running at a moderate place with sufficient power and cooling.

Can I Mine Bitcoin on My iPhone?

No way. For mining bitcoin today you need a great amount of computing power and electricity. Mining on a mobile device, even if it is part of a mining pool, will hardly bring you any earnings.

FAQ

What is mining cryptocurrency?

Using your hardware to validate transactions in blockchain networks is rewarded by new coins in the native cryptocurrency of such networks.

What are the benefits of mining cryptocurrency?

You can use your existing hardware to get profit.

What is the best crypto mining software?

There are dozens of software products you can run if you want to use your hardware for mining. The choice depends on what hardware you possess and what cryptocurrency you are interested in.

What is the best graphics card for crypto mining?

You should choose GPUs that are recommended by most miners because of the best ratio between productivity and energy consumption.

How does crypto mining work?

Specially designed software runs your hardware to validate transactions on a blockchain network. You get rewarded in cryptocurrency.

How to start crypto mining?

Once you have a hardware that’s suitable for mining, all you have to do is download and run mining software.

How much can you make mining crypto?

There are special profitability calculators that help to check how much money can be earned by mining of Bitcoin or Ethereum. Once you enter your GPU model, you can see how profitable it is.

How to make money mining crypto?

In simple words, by running mining software you lend your hardware to the blockchain network. As a reward you get the native tokens of this particular network.

How much energy does crypto mining use?

Every GPU consumes energy, the more powerful the GPU is the more power it consumes. Although newer GPUs can be more energy effective than previous generations.

What is a crypto mining rig

The word “rig” is used to describe one piece of hardware used for crypto mining