Bitcoin glossary
The Bitcoin whitepaper
Satoshi’s nine pages from 2008 that specified peer-to-peer electronic cash.
“Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” is the nine-page paper Satoshi Nakamoto published on 31 October 2008, describing how proof-of-work, economic incentives and a chain of blocks could let strangers agree on a ledger without any trusted party — solving the double-spend problem that had defeated every earlier digital cash.
It remains the canonical starting text, freely available in dozens of languages, and shorter than most terms of service.
The live number
Where to read it, and what to read next