Bitcoin mining is the process of validating and adding transactions to the Bitcoin blockchain. Miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical puzzles. When a puzzle is solved, the miner can add a new block of transactions to the blockchain.

This process ensures the security and integrity of the network. As a reward for their efforts, miners receive newly created bitcoins along with transaction fees from the transactions they process. Mining requires significant computational power and energy consumption. Miners often join pools to combine their resources and increase their chances of earning rewards.

The difficulty of mining adjusts approximately every two weeks to ensure that new blocks are added to the blockchain roughly every ten minutes. As more people join the network and the technology evolves, the mining process becomes increasingly competitive and challenging. This drives the need for more efficient hardware and energy sources. Overall, Bitcoin mining plays a crucial role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the network and facilitating transactions.