Don’t trust.
Verify.
A practical library for checking Bitcoin’s claims against original records, formal specifications, executable code and your own independently validating node.
19 primary and reproducible verification pathsThe strongest verification ends on hardware and software you control.
Inspect the original specification, announcement or legal document.
Compare the claim with open source code and accepted protocol proposals.
Ask your independently validating node what chain, transactions and UTXOs it accepts.
Foundations & cryptography
The original design and the standards behind Bitcoin’s hashes and signatures.
Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
The system’s original claims, threat model, proof of work and issuance logic.
SHA-256 — FIPS 180-4 Secure Hash Standard
The exact SHA-256 algorithm Bitcoin uses for block hashing and proof of work.
secp256k1 — SEC 2 elliptic-curve parameters
The mathematical curve parameters behind Bitcoin public keys and signatures.
Satoshi’s original Bitcoin announcement
The dated public record in which the paper was first announced.
Code & consensus
The executable rules, network constants and public change process.
Bitcoin Core source code
The software rules your node actually compiles and executes.
Bitcoin Improvement Proposals
What a proposal specifies; a BIP alone does not prove activation or adoption.
Mainnet consensus parameters
Genesis hash, proof-of-work limit, retarget interval, activation heights and network constants.
Block subsidy and the 21-million limit
The executable halving schedule from 50 BTC toward zero; the cap emerges from applying this rule.
Verify with your node
Direct queries against your own validated copy of the blockchain.
RPC links document the command. The evidence itself comes from running it against your own fully validating Bitcoin Core node.
Chain state and accumulated work
bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfoBest block, height, difficulty, chainwork, pruning and validation progress accepted by your node.
A complete block and every transaction
bitcoin-cli getblock <hash> 2Header, previous-block link, Merkle root, proof of work, confirmations and decoded transactions.
Raw transaction and decoded outputs
bitcoin-cli getrawtransaction <txid> true <blockhash>Inputs, outputs, amounts, scripts, witness data, transaction ID and block inclusion.
UTXO set and independently computed supply
bitcoin-cli gettxoutsetinfoThe number and total value of currently unspent outputs in your node’s accepted state.
Local blockchain database integrity
bitcoin-cli verifychain 4 0Block and undo-data consistency at the selected verification depth and level.
Merkle proof of transaction inclusion
bitcoin-cli gettxoutproof '["<txid>"]' <blockhash>Cryptographic inclusion of one or more transactions in a specific block.
Estimated network hash rate
bitcoin-cli getnetworkhashpsA reproducible estimate derived from observed difficulty and block timing — not direct telemetry from every miner.
Your node’s mempool state
bitcoin-cli getmempoolinfoTransaction count, memory use, fee floor and policy state seen by your node; mempools are not globally identical.
Public records & witnesses
Useful external records, clearly separated from self-verification.
Bitcoin Core downloads and signature verification
That downloaded binaries match published hashes and signed release attestations.
Genesis Block — public explorer view
A convenient independent display of Block 0. Cross-check it with your node; the explorer itself is still a trusted server.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETP approval order
Exactly what exchange rule changes were approved — not claims about Bitcoin’s safety or value.