A Beginner’s Guide to Mining BTC

As of 2022, there are still 2,000,000 Bitcoins yet to be distributed, or over $60 billion worth. These Bitcoins will be given to those that engage in Bitcoin mining — using their computing power to help operate and secure the public Bitcoin blockchain. Here’s a beginner’s guide to mining BTC, how it works, its profitability, and how you can get started. 

What Is Bitcoin Mining and How Does It Work?

The Bitcoin network does not have a central point of control. Instead, it is operated according to a public set of rules (called the “protocol”) that anyone can participate in. The most crucial part of this protocol is the process of creating new “blocks” and adding them to the Bitcoin blockchain. This is the process of mining. 

Miners on the BTC network receive the transaction requests from network users (e.g. when you trade DASH to BTC and receive Bitcoin to your wallet). They compete to solve extremely difficult cryptographic problems. The solution to this problem mathematically proves the block is valid, and that a miner has put in the necessary computing resources. The miner who solves this cryptographic problem first is allowed to create the next blockchain block on the public ledger and collect the BTC reward for doing so. 

This mining process is repeated again and again, every 10 minutes. Blocks are added, one after the other, to continue building the Bitcoin blockchain. 

Is BTC Mining Profitable?

Profitable Bitcoin mining is similar to running a business. You need to make sure your income is greater than your expenses. The reward for successfully mining a block on the Bitcoin blockchain currently stands at over $180,000, so high income shouldn’t be a problem for miners. The two biggest expenses for miners are specialist computing hardware and electricity. Both of these can be very expensive. 

So, whether or not BTC mining is profitable depends on the current Bitcoin market price, your cost of electricity, and the price and availability of hardware. You can get access to these by joining a mining pool, where miners share both resources and rewards. In general, competent Bitcoin miners have made enormous profits.  

If Bitcoin is too expensive to mine, you can consider other options. Research how to mine Litecoin — maybe it will be more suitable for you. 

Mining BTC: Steps to Begin With

To mine BTC profitably, you need 3 main things:

• A BTC wallet
• Mining Software
• Specialist computer equipment

BTC Wallets

Your BTC wallet is an encrypted account that lets you receive, store, and transfer Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Some of the most popular BTC coin wallets in 2022 are:

• Exodus: great for beginners
• Electrum: for more advanced users
• Mycelium: great for mobile
• Trezor Model T: highest security

Mining Software

Mining software is what you’ll use to run the cryptographic algorithms to win your mining rewards. There is a variety of providers that are free to download. Some options for Windows and Mac include Pionex, ECOS, BeMine, and SHAMINING.

Computer Equipment

You can mine BTC on pretty much any regular computer hardware. However, you’ll need highly specialized computing equipment to do it profitably. First, you need a powerful computer capable of consuming huge amounts of electricity. You’ll also need specialized BTC mining computing chips called ASIC. These are built specifically to mine cryptocurrencies, and thus can do so many times more efficiently than regular computer chips. They can be expensive, but they’ll pay for themselves if you can use them properly. 

Want to Start Mining Bitcoin? — Key Takeaways

The main bottlenecks to cryptocurrency mining are having access to cheap electricity and a large number of ASIC computing chips. If you have these, you can set up your own Bitcoin mining operation relatively easily. Otherwise, you use your money to join a mining pool. Here you put in some money upfront, and an organization uses it to mine Bitcoin efficiently at scale. This can be profitable if you have limited resources to invest in BTC mining. 

Cryptocurrency mining is an exciting revenue stream of the future. Now you have all the information necessary, you can decide on how you want to proceed on your crypto mining journey.