As of early 2016, mining is on its way to become more centralized. Mining equipment manufacturers are increasingly mining for themselves and not selling the hardware to consumers. Some of the bigger manufacturers now command 15% or more of the network's total hashing power. Recently, there has been a big run up of the hashing power. In the span of about a month, the hashrate jumped from 500 to 750 peta-hashes. In January 2016 it reached one exahash, and currently (Feb 2016) it is around 1.3 exahashes. (see https://blockchain.info/charts/hash-rate for up to date information).
Bitcoin Essentials
By :
Bitcoin Essentials
By:
Overview of this book
Blockchain is being billed as the technology of the future. Bitcoin is the first application of that technology. Mining is what makes it all possible. Exploring mining from a practical perspective will help you make informed decisions about your mining setup. Understanding what the future may hold for blockchains, and therefore for mining, will help you position yourself to take advantage of the impending changes.
This practical guide starts with an introduction to Bitcoin wallets, as well as mining hardware and software. You will move on to learn about different mining techniques using the CPU, GPU, FPGA, and ultimately the ASIC as an example. After this, you will gain an insight into solo mining and pool mining, and see the differences between the two. The book will then walk you through large-scale mining and the challenges faced during such operations. Finally, you will take a look into the future to see a world where blockchain-based applications are commonplace and mining is ubiquitous.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Bitcoin Essentials
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Free Chapter
Bitcoin Wallets and Mining Software
CPU Mining
GPU Mining
FPGA Mining
ASIC Mining
Solo Versus Pool Mining
Large Scale Mining
The Future of Bitcoin Mining
Index
Customer Reviews