Compare Sizes
Register
Français Español

Bitcoin

10
Bitcoin is a digital currency and also refers to the open source software that uses it, and the peer-to-peer network that it forms.
Unlike most currencies, Bitcoin does not rely on trusting any central issuer. Bitcoin uses a distributed database spread across nodes of a peer-to-peer network to journal transactions, and uses cryptography in order to provide basic security functions, such as ensuring that bitcoins can only be spent by the person who owns them, and never more than once.
Irreversible transactions of any value can be sent internationally in moments for next to no significant cost.
Alternative currencies, monetary systems
Name
Bitcoin
Websitebitcoin.org
Details
Status of the projectProject in beta development stage, being used by between 50-100K people around the world. Running continuously for >3 years.
Multiple currency exchanges for major currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD etc) in multiple countries. Multiple merchant solutions for shopping cart integration.
Peer-to-peer topologyYes
Single central authorityNo
Uses cryptographyYes
APIYes RPC through bitcoind, specialist libraries for Java (BitcoinJ), JavaScript (BitcoinJS), C/C++ (libbitcoin). Support for Python, Ruby, etc
Languages>15 (spread over different Bitcoin clients) including English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, French, Czech, Japanese, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Slovak, Chinese (simplified)
LicenseMIT License (free to use for everyone with no restrictions)
Founded2009-01-03
Founder(s)Satoshi Nakamoto, Gavin Andresen
OriginUSA
Wikipediawikipedia.org/...
HistorySee bitcoin.it/...
Social Networks
X (Twitter)@bitcoinmedia
Facebook
Video
Finance
English
Public
Public
Nov. 18th 2013 1:22:11 PM
View changes

User reviews and comments

  • sean.orchard on Sep. 21st 2012 4:00:24 AM
    like this

    Only alternative currency worthy of discussion. Absolute game changer.

  • Patrick Norris on Sep. 20th 2012 2:47:53 PM
    like this

    The idea of money has been changed by bitcoin

  • gary_rowe on Sep. 20th 2012 10:20:25 AM
    like this

    Information about Bitcoin is inaccurate. Many more languages are supported in other Bitcoin clients (see multibit.org) covering almost all the world's population. At the last assessment the estimate for world active users was > 500,000.

  • Ron Gross on Mar. 31st 2011 8:45:52 AM
    like this

    I'm investing $500 per day.