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Bitcoin Blockchain has reached an important milestone with the block size reaching an all-time high of 3.97 MB, amidst the excitement of the Inscription craze. This notable achievement was made possible through Marathon’s new Slipstream service, breaking the previous record for the largest Bitcoin block size of 3,990.36 kB or 3.9 MB.
Bitcoin’s Block Size
The significant increase in block size was attributed to a single transaction embedded in the network, containing a large image inscription related to the Runestone AirDrop. Bitcoin blocks, which are groups of transactions verified before being added to the general ledger, typically have a size limit. While a Bitcoin block size is normally around 1 MB, in Bitcoin SV (BSV) it can go up to 100 MB.
Initially, Bitcoin blocks could hold up to 36 MB of transaction data, but this limit was reduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2010. The reduction in block size was primarily to mitigate spam threats and potential Denial of Service (DOS) attacks on the network. As blocks began to fill up quickly, there was a need to increase the block size limit above 1 MB, and with the Segregated Witness (SegWit) technique, Bitcoin’s block size was increased from 1 MB to 4 MB.
There are some significant effects of increasing the Bitcoin block size. Proponents of increasing the block size argue that it will lead to lower transaction fees, faster transactions, and increased transaction capacity that can compete with other payment systems, potentially benefiting microtransactions. However, some experts express concerns about decentralization and security, warning that larger block sizes could lead to centralization and potentially compromise the security of the Bitcoin network.
New Record in Mining Difficulty: 81 Trillion
On the other hand, the block size reaching an all-time high coincided with Bitcoin’s mining difficulty hitting a record level. Currently, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty is at 81 trillion while the hash rate has reached 562.89 EH/s.
This indicates that the network will make adjustments to maintain the target block time of approximately 10 minutes. Especially with the block reward halving event expected to occur in about two months, further increases in mining difficulty are anticipated.
