Hash Rate
Hash rate measures how many cryptographic hash computations a miner or network can perform per second, indicating mining power and overall network security.
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Definition
Hash rate (also written hashrate) is the number of cryptographic hash operations a piece of mining hardware — or the entire network — can perform per second. It is the core measurement of mining power.
Common Units
Hash rates scale by orders of magnitude:
| Unit | Hashes per Second |
|---|---|
| KH/s (kilohash) | 1,000 |
| MH/s (megahash) | 1,000,000 |
| GH/s (gigahash) | 1,000,000,000 |
| TH/s (terahash) | 10¹² |
| PH/s (petahash) | 10¹⁵ |
| EH/s (exahash) | 10¹⁸ |
A modern Bitcoin ASIC produces roughly 200–400 TH/s. The entire Bitcoin network sits in the 600+ EH/s range.
Why It Matters
Hash rate has two distinct meanings depending on context:
- For an individual miner: It determines your share of block rewards. Higher hash rate = more chances to win.
- For the network: It is a proxy for security. The higher the total hash rate, the more expensive it would be to attempt a 51% attack.
Hash Rate vs. Difficulty
Hash rate and mining difficulty move together. As more miners join the network and total hash rate climbs, the protocol raises difficulty to keep block times near 10 minutes.