Networks and nodes
How a blockchain network is built, what the Bitcoin network does and what a node is.
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Lessons
- 01What is a blockchain network?A blockchain network is the group of computers that run the same software, follow the same rules and keep the same copy of a blockchain. They pass transactions and blocks to each other directly, with no central server. Each network is separate, so coins sent on one network do not appear on another.
- 02What does the Bitcoin network do?The Bitcoin network checks every payment against shared rules, puts valid payments in order inside a new block about every 10 minutes, adjusts how hard mining is so that pace holds, and releases new bitcoin on a fixed, shrinking schedule. No company runs it, and it does not set the price, know who you are or reverse payments.
- 03What is a node?A node is a computer that runs a blockchain's software and is connected to its network. A full node keeps its own copy of the chain, checks every new transaction and block against the rules, and passes valid ones to other nodes. Wallets ask nodes for balances, and miners and validators are nodes with an extra job.