Britannica Money (2024)

You’ve probably heard that Bitcoin transactions are highly secure and executed with near-perfect accuracy despite lacking a central (or human) entity to verify and oversee the process. It sounds pretty amazing, but how is it possible?

Crypto blockchain networks use algorithms to secure, verify, and self-govern activities on the blockchain. In the case of Bitcoin—the first cryptocurrency—developers pioneered a verification mechanism called proof of work.

So how does it all work? What are its advantages and risks? And if you’re looking to invest in cryptocurrency using this mechanism, what might you need to know?

What is proof of work?

Proof of work (PoW) is a decentralized system used to verify the accuracy of transactions on the blockchain network.

In other words, proof of work removes the need for a central authority like a bank, business, or government agency to monitor and manage transactions and their corresponding accounts. Instead, an algorithm verifies thousands upon thousands of transactions on any given day to make sure the entire history of transactions remains pristine and unaltered.

How proof of work “works”

Cryptocurrency transactions take place on a decentralized public ledger called a blockchain—a huge digital list of all transactions. Each “block” contains a limited number of crypto transactions. Linking these together creates a chain of blocks, hence the term “blockchain.”

Every computer (or “node”) participating in a crypto’s blockchain network has its own copy of this blockchain (which, again, is a history of transactions bundled into blocks).

How does a new transaction get into a block? This is where proof of work comes in. Suppose you want to send someone a certain amount of Bitcoin:

• Transactions are grouped. Your transaction is pooled with other non-verified transactions (people buying, selling, or exchanging Bitcoin). These transactions are waiting to be placed into a block.
• Miners compete to verify the next block. Crypto miners worldwide (basically, computers operating in the network) work to solve a complex mathematical puzzle. Their goal is to spit out a 64-bit “hash” (like a signature or a password) that matches Bitcoin’s “target hash.” Truth be told, it’s a huge guessing game. Mining computers make trillions of guesses per second, which is why, as we’ll explore later, the process is energy inefficient and costly. It takes, on average, around ten minutes for miners to mine a new block.
• A new block is mined and the transactions are added to the blockchain. The first miner to reach the goal gets to write the next page of blockchain transactions. The grouped transactions are placed in a block. That block with its solution is sent to the entire Bitcoin network so that each computer can validate it and update their copies of the ledger.

Every move in the Bitcoin network must happen in “consensus,” meaning that all computers must agree to the same data. This is why proof of work is called a “consensus mechanism.” It’s also why the Bitcoin network is also referred to as a “trustless system.” The entire system is mechanized by computer consensus rather than relying on the trust of any single entity (as opposed to a banker who might accidentally “lose” your paycheck deposit or misallocate your funds).

Proof-of-work verification systems

The critical advantage of proof of work is that it prevents double spending. When you hand some cash over to your grocery clerk to buy a loaf of bread, you can’t then use that same cash to buy a gallon of milk. That cash is spent.

But when it comes to cryptocurrencies, where no central authority monitors or manages transactions, double-spending poses a real risk. If people could double-spend a crypto, then that currency would lose all value.

With proof of work, all transactions are verified and broadcast throughout the entire system, making them nearly impossible to tamper with or change. If you send someone one Bitcoin, that information is sent to and recorded throughout the entire network. You cannot spend that same Bitcoin again.

This is what makes Bitcoin and other cryptos that use proof of work virtually tamper-proof. If a bad actor—a scammer or hacker, for example—wanted to change the information in a block, that person would have to change previous blocks, and all of the computers participating in the network would have to agree to the changes. The time, energy, and cost of this massive effort, assuming it could even be done, would likely outweigh the potential profit from tampering with the blockchain. So, although tampering is not impossible, it’s highly unlikely.

Problems for proof of work

With all its benefits, proof of work also has some disadvantages.

It uses a lot of energy. To mine new blocks, computers work around the clock making trillions of calculations every second to solve the next hash puzzle. By some estimates, Bitcoin consumes up to 150 terawatt hours annually—more than enough to power the entire country of Argentina (a population of 45 million people).

It’s slow. Waiting several minutes to verify a single transaction can be considered slow compared to sending cash digitally in a matter of seconds.

It’s not centralization-proof. The whole point of creating decentralized cryptocurrency is to ensure that no single entity is in charge of the entire system. But if a few mining pools were to control the majority of Bitcoin’s hashing activities (which would take massive computational power), then they would in essence control the majority of Bitcoin’s operations.

It’s somewhat vulnerable to a 51% attack. If one entity could take over 51% of Bitcoin’s mining capabilities, then it could disrupt the rules, possibly allowing for double-spending or blocking the confirmation of new transactions.

The bottom line

Proof of work is a unique mechanism that allows cryptocurrency networks to operate securely without the need for a centralized authority. However, its energy inefficiency is a real drawback. And other blockchain developers are creating new verification systems, such as proof of stake and proof of history, aiming to improve on proof of work’s innovations.

If you’re looking to invest in a company or a cryptocurrency to gain exposure to a particular blockchain for its future developments, consider learning about verification technologies to help you decide which blockchain networks might garner adoption in the future.