#WriteToEarnUpgrade Bitcoin (BTC) is a decentralized digital currency that operates without a central authority like a bank or government, allowing for peer-to-peer online payments. Created in 2009 by an anonymous entity known as Satoshi . Bitcoin is the first and most well-known cryptocurrency. Its technology is based on a public, distributed ledger called a blockchain, which securely records all transactions.

Key features:

Decentralization: Bitcoin is not controlled by any single person, group, or entity. Instead, it is maintained by a network of computers, or "nodes," that independently verify transactions and maintain copies of the public transaction ledger.

Scarcity: A defining feature of Bitcoin is its hard cap of 21 million coins. This limited supply, combined with the "halving" events that reduce the rate of new Bitcoin creation roughly every four years, makes it scarce and deflationary. This scarcity is a key reason some investors view it as "digital gold".

Proof-of-Work: New Bitcoins are created and transactions are validated through a process called mining. Miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical puzzles, and the first to solve the puzzle gets to add the next block of transactions to the blockchain and receives a reward in Bitcoin.