In this episode of Bitcoin, Explained, hosts Aaron van Wirdum and Sjors Provoost go back to basics. They explain one of the most fundamental building blocks in all of Bitcoin: hash functions.

To start the episode off, Aaron and Sjors explain that hash functions are a type of mathematical one-way functions. That means that they can easily convert one piece of data into another piece of data, a hash, but anyone who knows only this hash can not convert it back to the original data. Additionally, a hash is supposed to be unique: no two (different) pieces of data should result in the same hash. If either of these things is no longer true, a hash function is considered to be broken.

Then, Aaron and Sjors go on to explain in a little bit more detail how hash functions actually work. They discuss some aspects of the history and evolution of different hash functions, they mention some hash functions that have indeed been broken over time, and they pinpoint which hash functions are used in Bitcoin.

Finally, Aaron and Sjors explain how hash functions are used in Bitcoin, exactly. This includes almost every aspect of the Bitcoin system, they point out, ranging from transactions (in multiple ways) and blocks, to addresses and the proof of work mechanism, as well as in relatively new upgrades like Taproot, and hash functions are even used to create some randomness needed to establish connections on the peer-to-peer network.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode