Event Added Updated Guide
Why no one can cheat the ledger
Part 5 of the beginner guide. Two simple rules — everyone checks the rules, and the chain with the most work wins — are what keep a system with no boss honest.
longest-chain
Entries tagged with this topic. Spans across types and sources — explore connections between people, events, and themes.
4 entries
Event Added Updated Design Document
Bitcoin consensus design — proof of work, difficulty adjustment, and fork handling
How Bitcoin nodes agree on a single chain: SHA-256d proof of work, the difficulty adjustment algorithm, block validation rules, fork resolution, and probabilistic finality.
Event Added Updated Design Document
Bitcoin block and chain design — headers, Merkle trees, and chain selection
How Bitcoin blocks are structured, how Merkle trees commit transactions to block headers, and how the most-work chain selection rule resolves forks.
Event Added Updated Mailing List 25 messages
"Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper" — Satoshi's first Bitcoin announcement (Oct 2008)
Satoshi replies to Hal Finney's detailed technical questions, explaining how the longest chain resolves competing blocks and how transaction broadcasts are tolerant of dropped messages.