Mining
Proof-of-work block production in which miners build candidate blocks and search for a header hash below the network target.
Mining is the proof-of-work process used to propose blocks. A miner selects valid candidate transactions, constructs a block, and repeatedly changes header-related data until the block hash is numerically below the current target.
Finding proof of work does not let a miner ignore consensus. Full nodes independently reject blocks with invalid transactions, excessive subsidy, or other rule violations. Miners influence transaction ordering and inclusion within the valid block they propose.
The accepted block's coinbase transaction can claim the permitted block subsidy and transaction fees. Profitability depends on hash rate, difficulty, energy, hardware, pool terms, coin price, and operational reliability.
Related terms
Explore connected entries beyond the alphabetical index.
Miner
→A proof-of-work participant that builds or searches candidate blocks and earns revenue when an accepted block is found.
Proof of Work (PoW)
→A consensus mechanism that makes block production require verifiable computational work.
Hash rate
→The number of proof-of-work hash attempts performed per second by mining hardware or an entire network.
Mining Difficulty
→Mining difficulty measures how hard it is to find a valid proof-of-work block and adjusts to keep average block times near target.
Coinbase Transaction
→The first transaction in a block, used to assign the block subsidy and collected transaction fees.