the bitcoin network in realtime

Welcome to our first sketch of what the Bitcoin block chain looks like.

Bitcoin is a network of devices spread accross the globe that all speak the same protocol, follow the same rules, and keep an identical, permanent copy of a list of transactions. These transactions are agreements between two parties, cryptographically signed by private keys, to move some bitcoin currency from one address to another. Once submitted to a single device on the network a transaction spreads from device to device until all devices have a copy.

Some time later, 10 minutes on average, all the new transactions on the network get confirmed and packaged into a block. They are now a permanent part of the growing list of transactions, called the block chain.

Here we're visualizing transactions in real time as they appear on the network and as they get confirmed and added to the block chain. We were curious to visualize the rhythm and magnitude of the network. How much bitcoin does each transaction represent? How frequently do they appear? Our hope is to create intuitive, visual representations that bring the Bitcoin network to life.