However, it relies on the mathematical characteristics of a cryptographic hash, a common technique to encode data. Hashes are a one-way encryption technique, which means that decrypting them to their input data is almost difficult until every conceivable combination is tried to get the result that matches the given (or original) hash.

Bitcoin miners go through billions of hashes each second until one meets a criterion called “difficulty.” Since the difficulty and the hash are significant values represented in bits, the condition demands that the hash be lower. It is necessary to change the difficulty every 2,016 Bitcoin blocks — or about every two weeks — to keep a consistent block time, which refers to the time it takes to discover each new block when mining bitcoins.

Moreover, mining produces a hash of the block header data used to identify the same block. The Merkle root — another aggregated hash that contains the signatures of all transactions in that block — and the preceding block's unique hash are the most significant hash components.

A minor change to a block's expected hash influences the hash of every subsequent block as well. To safeguard the blockchain network from manipulation, nodes would immediately reject this erroneous version of the blockchain.

The difficulty criterion ensures that Bitcoin miners spend actual time and energy hashing through the available combinations. To differentiate it from other block-creation methods, Bitcoin's consensus system is termed “proof-of-work.” Malicious actors can only attack the network by replicating its mining power. That would cost billions of dollars in Bitcoin.

Is Bitcoin Mining Profitable?

Mining bitcoin was a very lucrative activity in the early days of the cryptocurrency industry. In the case of Bitcoin specifically, the first bitcoin ever mined in 2009 received a reward of 50 bitcoins (BTC), worth about 6,000 USD at the time of its creation. Because the computer resources and energy needed to mine a single bitcoin were considerably lower than they are now, miners could keep the majority of the reward as pure profit at the time of mining.

Under the Bitcoin protocol, the reward for bitcoin mining has a half-life of about four years, which means that the current payout for mining a single bitcoin is 6.25 Bitcoin. Even though the payout for bitcoin mining has dropped over time, the value of a single bitcoin has risen dramatically. In reality, as of April 2021, the value of a bitcoin reward is about 333,023.75 USD (approximately).

The cost of mining bitcoin, on the other hand, has skyrocketed in recent years. In addition to the hardware expenses, which may vary from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. According to the miner's location and the kind of hardware they are using, the overall cost of bitcoin mining energy usage may vary significantly. This implies that the profitability of mining bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may also vary, although in most cases, the income generated by cryptocurrency mining exceeds the expenses incurred. But, overall, it is a highly profitable investment you can ever make in your life.

How to Start Bitcoin Mining

Here are a few steps that you can follow to mine your first Bitcoin.

Make sure you have appropriate Bitcoin mining hardware to get started. Bitcoin mining necessitates the use of specialized hardware. This is referred to as a Bitcoin mining "rig" in specific contexts.

Previously, in the beginning phase of bitcoin development, basic home computers were used for mining purposes. Although Bitcoin's popularity grew, the complexity of its proof-of-work method had risen, which necessitated the need for more computing power to process the transactions.

ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chips are the specialized hardware utilized by most miners. These are very powerful computers that have been specially designed to solve the Bitcoin proof-of-work algorithm.

Install the Bitcoin mining software of your choice. The bitcoin mining software will allow you to connect to the Bitcoin blockchain after your Bitcoin mining equipment has been configured. The software assigns work to miners and adds new blocks to the blockchain, a distributed ledger of transactions. For Bitcoin mining, there are many free software applications available online. You can consult with the experts for the most appropriate bitcoin mining software, prices, and mining procedures.

Individual Bitcoin mining would be futile even with the most up-to-date hardware and software. Individual miners will be unable to compete with the big mining farms supported by mining corporations in the long run. Fortunately, there is a solution — a Bitcoin mining pool – to this problem. Individual miners may pool their processing power with that of the community to compete against one another. Select a good Bitcoin mining pool and register yourself on it. Fees must be paid to the pool's operator, and payouts are somewhat reduced; as a result, however, utilizing a mining pool will guarantee that rewards are distributed more often. Be aware, there are a lot of scam mining pools that is looking to just rip you off. Make sure to cross-check the pools before you join them. 

Once you've chosen which pool to use for your Bitcoin mining, you're ready to get started! Connect your mining hardware to a power outlet, finish the connection to the Bitcoin blockchain with your selected software, fill in the necessary information about your Bitcoin wallet and the mining pool you've chosen. You’re ready to start mining cryptocurrency.

Categories of Bitcoin Mining Hardware

You can mine bitcoins through the following four procedures;

• Mining with CPU (Processor)

Monero (XMR) can be mined using a CPU with either HiveOS or NiceHash Application. With minimum investment, you can mine bitcoins through Core i5 processors. However, with an ideal investment, you can mine bitcoins with AMD 3990X processors.

• Mining with GPU (Graphic Cards)

Etherum, Firo, RVN, and many more can be mined using GPU with HiveOS or NiceHash Application. With minimum investment, you can mine bitcoins through NVIDIA 1060 6GB graphics card. However, with an ideal investment, you can mine bitcoins with the NVIDIA 1070 X5 graphics card.

• Mining with Storage (Hard Drives)

Chia and Flax can be mined using Hard drives. With minimum investment, you can mine bitcoins through 4TB hard drives. However, with an ideal investment, you can mine bitcoins with 200TB hard drives.

• Mining with ASIC

ASIC is a mining technique that is built explicitly for mining a specific type of coin and algorithm. So, a bitcoin ASIC miner can only mine bitcoin and nothing else. It is the most advanced technique used by bitcoin miners these days. Many ASICs are available, with the number of available choices usually linked to the demand for a specific currency in the market. However, even though Bitmain produces the vast majority of ASICs, rivals such as Innosilicon and Halong are seeking to extend their presence in the sector with fresh ASIC releases.

Configuring Your Mining Machine

The last step is to set up your mining machine and determine whether you want to send the hash power toward a pool or an exchange and you are good to go. 

If you would like to know more about how to start crypto mining, feel free to book a free consultation with one of our experts. We have enabled many businesses and individuals to set up their small or large-scale mining rigs. Register for your free consultation.