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Layer 1

Bitcoin

The original blockchain, and still the one everything else is measured against.

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By the Orca Crypto teamUpdated 2026-09-28How we check this5 min readReference
The short answer

The original blockchain, and still the one everything else is measured against. Bitcoin exists to move value without asking anyone for permission. It does one job and it has done that job without interruption since 2009.

Live market data

LiveCoinGecko
Price
$83,123
-0.36% 24h
Market cap
$1.67T
24h volume
$39.13B
Rank
#1
All time high
$126,080

Prices as of September 29, 2026, replaced by live figures as the page loads. Prices move constantly and are for orientation only.

What Bitcoin is for

Bitcoin exists to move value without asking anyone for permission. It does one job and it has done that job without interruption since 2009.

Technical summary

PropertyValue
LayerLayer 1
Launched2009
ConsensusProof of work
ThroughputAbout 7
FinalityAbout 60 minutes for 6 blocks
Native tokenBTC pays the transaction fee and rewards miners

Block explorers

An explorer lets you verify any transaction, address or contract on this network yourself. Learning to read one is the fastest way to stop taking anyone's word for anything.

Mempool.spaceBlockstream

How to read a block explorer

Wallets that support it

XverseLedgerTrezor

What to be aware of

  • Validator concentration varies widely between layer 1s and is worth checking rather than assuming.
  • Newer chains have shorter track records under real adversarial pressure.
  • Crypto assets are volatile. Drawdowns of seventy percent or more have happened on every network in this list, including the largest.
  • Sending to an address on the wrong network can lose funds permanently. Always send a small test amount first.

Nothing on this page is investment advice. We describe how networks work, not whether you should buy anything.

Other networks at this layer

Same job, different tradeoffs. Each of these has its own page covering what it is actually for, who runs it and where it struggles.

EthereumSolanaBNB ChainXRP LedgerCardanoAvalancheAll of them

Common questions

Why is Bitcoin so slow compared to newer chains?
Because it was designed that way. Ten minute blocks and a small block size keep the cost of running a full node low enough that ordinary people can verify the chain themselves. Speed was traded for that on purpose, and the layers built on top are where fast payments happen.
Will Bitcoin ever have smart contracts like Ethereum?
Not in the same form. Bitcoin has a deliberately limited scripting language, and the culture around it resists changes that add complexity. Ordinals, Runes and layers such as Lightning have extended what it can do without changing the base rules.

Where to go next

Compare all networksHow the layers fit together.Block explorer directoryEvery chain, every explorer.Wallets by chainThe right wallet for this network.Mining and stakingHow blocks actually get made and who gets paid.

Compared head to head

The question people actually ask is not "what is this" but "this one or that one". Each of these ends with a pick and the reasoning behind it.

Bitcoin vs EthereumAll comparisons

New to Bitcoin?

We can get you set up with the right wallet, funded, and through a first transaction on this network in about an hour, on a screen share.

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