Bitcoin mining: How it works, who does it, and what really matters in 2025

When you hear Bitcoin mining, the process of validating transactions and securing the Bitcoin network by solving complex mathematical puzzles. Also known as cryptocurrency mining, it's what keeps Bitcoin running without banks or middlemen. It’s not magic. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a system built on electricity, hardware, and competition.

Behind every new Bitcoin is a machine—usually a mining hardware, specialized computers designed to perform trillions of calculations per second to solve cryptographic puzzles—running nonstop. These machines, like ASICs, are expensive, loud, and hungry for power. That’s why mining isn’t done in basements anymore. It’s concentrated where electricity is cheap: places like Texas, Kazakhstan, and parts of Venezuela. Even then, it’s not about making money anymore for most people. It’s about survival. In countries like Venezuela, where the government controls mining through SUNACRIP, miners need licenses just to run a single rig. In Russia, banks now limit how much crypto you can turn into cash. And in China? It’s all underground. The rules keep changing, but the math doesn’t. Bitcoin still needs miners to verify transactions. Without them, the network dies.

And that’s where proof of work, the consensus mechanism Bitcoin uses to agree on which transactions are valid comes in. It’s the reason Bitcoin is secure. It’s also why it uses more electricity than some countries. Critics say it’s wasteful. Supporters say it’s the price of trust. Either way, it’s not going away. Even as newer blockchains switch to greener methods, Bitcoin holds firm. That’s why you’ll find posts here about state-controlled mining in Venezuela, Russian traders dodging bank limits, and how underground networks in China still move billions. You’ll also see how scams hide behind mining hype—like fake airdrops or rigged exchanges pretending to offer mining shares. None of it has anything to do with actual mining. But they’re everywhere.

So if you’re wondering whether mining is still worth it, the answer depends on where you are, how much power costs, and what you’re trying to do. For most people, buying Bitcoin is easier. For others—those in places with no banks, no safety nets, or no trust in their government—mining is a lifeline. This collection doesn’t sell you dreams. It shows you the real world: the hardware, the regulations, the scams, and the people still running rigs in the dark. What you find below isn’t theory. It’s what’s actually happening.