Introduction

Bitcoin, the first and most valuable cryptocurrency, means different things to different people: to some, it's "a means of payment"; to others, "just another online trend"; to some, "only criminals use bitcoin"; and to others, "another evil on the internet." But what exactly is this "Bitcoin"?
What is Bitcoin?
In 2009, anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto introduced the term 'Bitcoin', a decentralized digital currency operating on a peer-to-peer network without central authorities like banks or governments. It utilizes blockchain technology, a distributed ledger system that records and verifies transactions through mining. Bitcoin transactions occur directly between users, eliminating the need for intermediaries. It employs cryptography for security, has a limited supply of 21 million coins to prevent inflation, and provides anonymity through pseudonymous addresses.