Since its inception in 2009, Bitcoin has grown in popularity as a digital currency or cryptocurrency. It is peer to peer, and unlike conventional currencies, it is owned and managed by its users. Bitcoin is made available through a technology known as Blockchain, which is a new kind of ledger or list of cryptographic digital blocks that are securely connected together. Bitcoin was the first blockchain application in the real world.

Blockchain enables the functioning of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin whilst also improving security. Smart contracts, financial markets, multi-asset trading and supply chain are only a few of the uses for Blockchain. Blockchain was created as an open-source technology by an unidentified individual (or group of people) known only as Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin was the first blockchain and is now the most widely used being followed by Ethereum. The blockchain has grown into its own concept, with thousands of blockchains generated using similar cryptographic techniques. The term "blockchain" is often used to refer to the original Bitcoin blockchain. It may also apply to blockchain technology as a whole or to a particular blockchain, such as the one that runs Ethereum.

The fundamentals of blockchain technology are conveniently straightforward. A blockchain is made up of a single chain of chronologically ordered discrete blocks of data. In principle, a blockchain may be used to create some form of contract between two parties as long as all parties consent to it. This eliminates the necessity for any contract to include a third party.

Bitcoin is a protocol and a collection of processes that are entirely digital. It is also the most effective of multiple attempts to use cryptography, the science of creating and breaking codes, to create virtual currency. Hundreds of imitators have followed in Bitcoin's footprints, however it remains the biggest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a position that has been retained for more than a decade. Although Bitcoin's current purpose is to serve as both a store of value and a payment system, there is no reason that it could not be used in other ways in the future. Nevertheless, consensus will be required to apply these mechanisms to Bitcoin.

The blockchain of Bitcoin is distributed, which means it is open to the public. Anyone can access it in its entirety or parse it on any number of hosts. This means that the record is public, but it also means that changing the blockchain ledger is difficult. The ins and outs of the blockchain, hash rates, and mining are not especially applicable to most Bitcoin network participants. Bitcoin owners who are not part of the mining community typically trade their cryptocurrencies through an exchange. It is understandable that Bitcoin traders and owners will want to take whatever security precautions they can to safeguard their investments. They do this by using keys and wallets.