Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
cryptocurrency · bitcoin-cash
A proof-of-work cryptocurrency that split from Bitcoin in 2017 and follows a separate on-chain scaling and CashVM roadmap.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a separate cryptocurrency and consensus network created by the August 2017 Bitcoin chain split. It inherited transaction history up to the split, then adopted distinct rules, software, market value, and infrastructure.
BCH uses SHA-256 proof of work, a UTXO ledger, CashAddr payment encoding, and a roughly ten-minute target block interval. Later upgrades added ASERT difficulty adjustment, adaptive block capacity, native transaction introspection, CashTokens, and additional CashVM operations.
BCH prioritizes more base-layer transaction capacity and regular coordinated hard-fork upgrades. That can provide spare blockspace and faster protocol iteration while increasing node-resource, implementation, and upgrade-coordination requirements.
BCH is not interchangeable with BTC or similarly named assets. Verify the network, address format, wallet support, confirmation status, and token category before transferring value.
Is Bitcoin Cash the same as Bitcoin?
No. BTC and BCH share early history and some technical foundations, but operate as separate networks. A BCH payment does not pay a BTC invoice. Similar-looking legacy addresses do not establish compatibility; check the asset and network in both the sending and receiving wallet.
The history of Bitcoin Cash upgrades explains how its rules diverged. Upgrade Tracker organizes protocol changes and their sources, while CashTokens versus ERC-20 compares its native token model with Ethereum's contract interface.
For a first payment, use the wallet setup walkthrough. The Bitcoin Cash project site links to network software and ecosystem resources; verify wallet support for the specific BCH assets you intend to receive.
Related terms
Bitcoin (BTC)
→The first widely adopted cryptocurrency, using proof of work and an issuance schedule capped near 21 million BTC under current rules.
cryptocurrency · btc
Proof of Work (PoW)
→A consensus mechanism that makes block production require verifiable computational work.
mining · blockchain · consensus
Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO)
→A discrete spendable output on a UTXO blockchain, similar to a digital coin that must be spent whole.
technical · blockchain
CashAddr
→A Bitcoin Cash address format with a network prefix, Base32 payload, type information, and error-detecting checksum.
wallet · bitcoin-cash · standard
CashTokens
→Native Bitcoin Cash primitives for fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens attached to UTXOs.
bitcoin-cash · token · protocol
Protocol Upgrade
→A coordinated change to the rules, messages, or policies implemented by network software.
governance · blockchain