WATCHING THE MEMPOOLREADING THE NETWORKFOLLOWING THE SIGNAL

LEARN HOW BITCOIN MOVES.

Start at the surface or go deeper. Follow clear learning paths through Bitcoin fundamentals, the network, protocols, development, updates, culture, and the wider ecosystem.

Knowledge Index

A structured archive for the Bitcoin ocean.

Bitcoin Basics Begin with the core concepts.

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Foundations

  • What is Bitcoin?
  • Why Bitcoin?
  • Bitcoin History
  • Satoshi Nakamoto

Using Bitcoin

  • Wallets
  • Self-Custody
  • Sending & Receiving
  • Transactions & Fees

Security

  • Seed Phrases
  • Public & Private Keys
  • Bitcoin Security
  • Bitcoin Privacy

Essentials

  • UTXOs
  • Confirmations
  • Halving
  • Best Practices
Explore the full Bitcoin Basics guide
The Bitcoin Network Read the currents that move transactions.

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Mining

  • Mining
  • Mining Pools
  • ASIC Miners
  • Difficulty Adjustment

Nodes

  • Full Nodes
  • Pruned Nodes
  • Running a Node
  • Node Software

Network

  • Mempool
  • Blocks
  • Blockchain
  • Hashrate

Consensus

  • Proof of Work
  • Consensus
  • Soft Forks
  • Network Upgrades
Explore the Bitcoin Network guide
Building on Bitcoin Continue deeper into layers and assets.

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Layer 2

  • Lightning Network
  • Ark
  • RGB
  • Sidechains

Digital Assets

  • Ordinals
  • Runes
  • BRC-20
  • Inscriptions

Development

  • Developer Tools
  • Wallet Integrations
  • APIs
  • Indexers

Innovation

  • BitVM
  • DLCs
  • OP_CAT
  • Emerging Protocols
Explore Building on Bitcoin
Bitcoin Development Continue deeper into the protocol.

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Bitcoin Core

  • Bitcoin Core
  • Bitcoin Knots
  • Source Code
  • Releases

Protocols

  • BIPs
  • Script
  • Taproot
  • SegWit

Cryptography

  • Schnorr Signatures
  • Digital Signatures
  • Hash Functions
  • Merkle Trees

Infrastructure

  • RPC
  • Development Environment
  • Testing
  • Running Infrastructure
Explore Bitcoin Development
Bitcoin Ecosystem Chart the wider field around Bitcoin.

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People

  • Builders
  • Developers
  • Artists
  • Industry Leaders

Companies

  • Public Companies
  • Startups
  • Mining Companies
  • Infrastructure Companies

Markets

  • Exchanges
  • Wallet Providers
  • Marketplaces
  • Service Providers

Community

  • Conferences
  • Communities
  • Historical Milestones
  • Open Source Projects
Explore the Bitcoin Ecosystem

Glossary Preview

Terms for reading the chart.

Compact definitions for the language that appears throughout Bitcoin guides.

Mempool

The waiting area where valid unconfirmed Bitcoin transactions are held by nodes before they are included in blocks.

UTXO

An unspent transaction output is a discrete piece of bitcoin value that can be used as an input in a later transaction.

Hashrate

A measure of the total computational work miners are directing toward Bitcoin proof of work.

Confirmation

A transaction has a confirmation when it is included in a block, with later blocks adding more settlement depth.

Self-Custody

Holding your own private keys so you control spending without relying on a third-party custodian.

Node

Software that independently checks Bitcoin rules and shares valid transaction and block data with peers.