21MERIDIAN 2140
07 / 104HASH

Mining

The competitive process that proposes new blocks and secures Bitcoin with proof of work.

Miners assemble valid transactions into candidate blocks and search for a qualifying block-header hash. A successful miner broadcasts the block and may claim the subsidy plus included transaction fees.

Miners choose which valid transactions to include, usually favoring higher fee rates. They can reorder or temporarily omit transactions, but they cannot make nodes accept invalid spending or change the supply rules.

Modern mining separates hardware owners, facilities and pools. Pools coordinate work and smooth payouts, while individual hashers can independently verify block templates through newer protocols and configurations.

01

Proposes, but does not define, valid blocks

02

Revenue combines subsidy and fees

03

Difficulty regulates block cadence

04

Specialized ASIC hardware dominates

DOC · 001Bitcoin Developer Guide: MiningDocumentationDOC · 002getblocktemplate specificationSpecification
Reviewed 25 July 2026Source-first · No investment advice