Hash
A fixed-size output produced by a cryptographic function that uniquely represents input data.
In-Depth Explanation
Hashing is fundamental to blockchain: it links blocks together, secures mining, and enables efficient data verification. Good hash functions are deterministic (same input = same output), fast to compute, and practically impossible to reverse. Even a tiny input change produces a completely different hash. SHA-256 and Keccak-256 are common blockchain hash functions.
Related Terms
SHA-256
The cryptographic hash function used by Bitcoin for mining and transaction verification.
Blockchain
A distributed, immutable ledger that records transactions across a network of computers using cryptographic linking.
Mining
The process of using computational power to validate transactions and add new blocks to a proof-of-work blockchain.
More in Infrastructure
View all →Gas Fees
Transaction fees paid to validators/miners for executing operations on a blockchain.
Gwei
A denomination of Ether equal to one billionth of an ETH, commonly used to express gas prices.
Layer 2
L2Scaling solutions built on top of a base blockchain (L1) that process transactions off-chain while inheriting L1 security.
Layer 1
L1The base blockchain that provides security and consensus, such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, or Solana.