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Bitcoin Cash Overview
Crypto Basics For Beginners

Bitcoin Cash Overview

By Oreld Hadilberg
Reviewed by Tony Spilotro

Table of Contents

Bitcoin Cash is a cryptocurrency that was created in 2017 as a result of a hard fork in the Bitcoin blockchain network. A hard fork occurs when a blockchain splits and the two forks are incompatible. This is a significant modification to a network's protocol that allows previously invalid blocks and transactions to become valid or vice versa. A hard fork necessitates all nodes or users to upgrade to the most recent protocol software version.

Bitcoin Cash is intended to be used as a low-cost payment system, much like Bitcoin was originally intended to be. Transaction fees are typically less than $.01, and transaction confirmation times are significantly shorter than those of Bitcoin, typically occurring within seconds.

An active developer community created and maintains Bitcoin Cash. These developers continue to see Bitcoin Cash as a necessary alternative to Bitcoin, arguing that Bitcoin has evolved into more of an investment vehicle than a payment system. It was created as a peer-to-peer payment system that eliminates the need for regulatory authorities and other third parties to be involved in financial transactions.

Bitcoin Cash is powered by Bitcoin Cash Node, an ecosystem that allows users to transact in Bitcoin Cash. The blockchain for Bitcoin Cash is the Bitcoin Cash Node, the virtual machine that runs the network and powers transactions.

How Is Bitcoin Cash Different From Bitcoin?

So, what exactly is the distinction between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash? Bitcoin Cash can support 25,000 transactions per block, whereas Bitcoin can only support 1,000 to 1,500 per block. The increase in block size from 1MB to 8MB was sufficient to generate a following. As a result, BCH is now a top 20 cryptocurrency and one of the most popular Bitcoin forks. Bitcoin Cash has since grown to a block size of 32MB.

It’s important to note that Bitcoin was working on its solution to these problems at the time of the fork. Segregated Witness, or SegWit, was an upcoming upgrade at the time of Bitcoin Cash’s inception, intending to switch transactions to off-chain solutions to speed up transaction processing. Many people were dissatisfied with this solution, which is why the Bitcoin Cash hard fork occurred.

BCH debuted at around $240 per coin and has since risen significantly. Its price hasn't reached Bitcoin's highs, but given that BCH is intended to be a form of payment, the lack of overall value may work in its favor. However, Bitcoin's higher price allows it to function more as a store of value

It's worth noting that larger block sizes and faster validation favor businesses. A restaurant can easily manage lower-priced transactions on Bitcoin Cash, which Bitcoin still struggles with. This solution is also suitable for tipping creators or making donations online.

These smaller use cases demonstrate why some people prefer Bitcoin Cash to the world's first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.

However, Bitcoin Cash is not without flaws. The name can confuse new investors, which should have been considered during the hard fork. To new users, Bitcoin Cash may appear to be a clone of Bitcoin. It can be perplexing for those unfamiliar with the distinctions between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

Furthermore, BCH is much cheaper than Bitcoin and isn't as dominant in the overall cryptocurrency market, which may provide less incentive to mine on its network. Otherwise, the asset simply lacks the same number of trading pairs as Bitcoin, which can be used on all exchanges and as a trading pair for hundreds, if not thousands, of cryptocurrencies. BCH is used to replace cash and thus serves a different purpose.

One might wonder if the price of BCH is affected by Bitcoin. While the two aren't directly linked, if Bitcoin's price rises, BCH will generally follow. This is due to several factors. Large investors may want to diversify their portfolio as the market rises, and Bitcoin Cash, one of the top cryptocurrencies, is an obvious choice.

Why Use Bitcoin Cash?

Send money almost freely around the world

You can send money to anyone, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, using Bitcoin Cash. The network, like the Internet, is always active. There is no such thing as a small or large transaction. And you never need permission or approval from anyone.

You can be your own bank and have complete control over your money

The seizure of account holders' capital ("bail-ins") that occurred in Cyprus and nearly in Greece demonstrated that bank deposits are only as safe as political leaders decide. Banks can make mistakes, hold funds, freeze accounts, and otherwise prevent you from accessing your own money, even in the best circumstances.

Banks may also decide to suspend your transactions, charge you fees, or close your account without prior notice. Bitcoin Cash grants you complete sovereignty over your funds, which you can access anywhere in the world.

Increase your privacy and work anonymously

Because it is impossible to know who controls a Bitcoin address, Bitcoin Cash provides greater privacy and anonymity than traditional payment systems such as bank transfers and credit card payments.

Bitcoin Cash provides varying levels of privacy depending on how it is used. Before using BCH for privacy purposes, you should thoroughly educate yourself.

Get special discounts

Many merchants offer discounts for paying in Bitcoin Cash because it eliminates credit card fees and aids in adopting this new payment system.

Tokens ecosystem

Token storage and management on a blockchain provide greater transparency and integrity than traditional asset accounting and trading methods. Bitcoin Cash supports token protocols that power a variety of projects, and it is simple to create your own token-backed projects.

Worldwide support for liberty

Bitcoin Cash operates on an open, permissionless network. It allows you to interact with your fellow humans without being bothered. It is non-aggressive, voluntary, and decentralized. As usage grows, old power structures will crumble, and new ideas will flourish. It could pave the way for the world's greatest peaceful revolution.

NFTs and DeFi applications

SmartBCH is a high-performance EVM and Web3 sidechain for DeFi applications. This includes an ever-increasing number of decentralized exchanges and non-fungible tokens (NFT) initiatives.

Fees are extremely low

A typical Bitcoin Cash transaction incurs a network fee of less than one penny. If you want to exchange your BCH for fiat currency, such as US dollars, you can do so through merchant processors at a much lower cost than credit card processing.

No chargebacks

There are no automatic voids, refunds, chargebacks, or other unexpected fees, unlike credit cards. The system includes fraud protection at no extra cost to the merchant.

How Does Bitcoin Cash Work?

On a technical level, Bitcoin Cash is identical to Bitcoin. Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin both have a hard cap of 21 million assets, rely on nodes to validate transactions, and use a PoW consensus algorithm. Miners validate transactions using computer power and are compensated in BCH for their efforts.

However, the larger block size makes BCH operate faster and has lower transaction fees than its predecessor. It's much better suited for smaller transactions, such as using cryptocurrency to buy coffee.

Aside from that, Bitcoin Cash supports smart contracts and apps like CashShuffle and CashFusion.

CashShuffle, a coin mixing protocol that shuffles your Bitcoin Cash with other holders before a transaction, is available to BCH holders using certain wallets. As a result, because Bitcoin Cash is a public ledger, your transactions are private and much more difficult to trace.

However, coin mixing is not always accurate. First, it requires users to trust a third-party service, which is ironic given that crypto is supposed to be autonomous or pseudonymous. Mixing can be costly, which is inconvenient for those who transact frequently. Several jurisdictions have targeted cryptocurrency mixers, claiming that the funds entering such platforms are usually obtained illegally.

Rather than combining transactions, CashFusion places your BCH in a single large transaction with other CashFusion users. It then returns the BCH to your wallet, but your transaction has been mixed up and combined with so many other transactions that (ideally) no one can trace a path to your holdings.

These are two widely used applications in the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem but are only the tip of the iceberg. BCH has sparked the development of dozens of protocols and other projects to expand the technology and make it more accessible to all.

AdvantagesOf Bitcoin Cash

Fast and cost-effective: Bitcoin Cash, with a transaction cost of less than one penny and the ability to process over 100 transactions per second, could be a viable payment platform. Still, the Visa network processes 2,000 transactions per second, indicating that Bitcoin Cash has a long way to go.

More scalable than Bitcoin: Bitcoin Cash's larger blocks enable a more scalable blockchain, resulting in lower user fees and making it more transactive.

Decentralized money: For those concerned about banks and central governments exerting too much-centralized control over the financial system, Bitcoin Cash provides a decentralized currency-like system that is not controlled by any single entity.

Very accessible: Unlike lesser-known competitors, Bitcoin Cash is one of the more popular cryptocurrencies and can be purchased through most major exchanges. The BCH/USD price is only about $370 per coin, making it more affordable than purchasing a single Bitcoin.

Disadvantages Of Bitcoin Cash

Relatively low adoption rate: Because fewer people than Bitcoin use Bitcoin Cash, it may struggle to gain acceptance as an investment or medium of exchange.

Not very secure: Because it requires less mining power to verify new blocks, Bitcoin Cash processes transactions faster and at a lower cost than Bitcoin. As a result, the system is less secure than Bitcoin.

Environmental impact: Bitcoin Cash continues to use the proof of work system consensus, in which miners must run computers to solve cryptographic equations to process transactions, which consumes a lot of energy. Even though Bitcoin Cash consumes less electricity than Bitcoin, this system has a high environmental impact.

How To Buy Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin Cash is widely available on trustworthy cryptocurrency exchanges such as Margrex. You open an account, deposit money, and then use it to purchase cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin Cash. You could also purchase Bitcoin Cash through platforms such as PayPal.

FAQ

What is bitcoin cash used for?

Bitcoin Cash is intended to be a transactional cryptocurrency that can be used to make electronic cash payments. It is intended to address Bitcoin's perceived scalability issue while also providing more utility in everyday life β€” it is intended to be spent rather than held as a store of value.

Where Can You Buy Bitcoin Cash?

Bitcoin Cash can be purchased on reputable cryptocurrency exchanges such as Margrex. You open an account, deposit funds, and then use them to buy cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash. You can keep Bitcoin Cash in a crypto wallet as an investment, exchange it for other coins, or use it for transactions once you've purchased it.

What is The future of Bitcoin Cash?

In terms of the future of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Cash is unquestionably carving out its niche. While Bitcoin currently has the most mindshare, much of that interest will almost certainly migrate to BCH as more merchants accept the asset. After all, there is no denying that BCH is a much faster and less expensive network.
However, Bitcoin Cash is up against similar projects, the most prominent of which is Litecoin (LTC), which is frequently right next to the asset in market capitalization. However, the characteristics of Litecoin differ from those of Bitcoin Cash, and it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It all comes down to which platform best meets the needs of a specific user and which platform offers the features that the general public will most desire.