Hash rate is the total computing power miners point at a proof-of-work network, measured in attempts per second. Bitcoin's is counted in exahashes - billions of billions of attempts every second.
It is a rough gauge of security: the higher it is, the more expensive it becomes for anyone to overpower the honest miners. It also reflects miner commitment, because hardware and electricity are paid for in advance. Hash rate does not predict price, and short dips happen for mundane reasons like weather or power costs. But a hash rate that keeps climbing over years means people are spending real money to protect the network.
💬 Do you follow hash rate, or is it one metric too many?
Binance Academy covers this in more depth: https://www.binance.com/en/academy/glossary/hash-rate
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Trading crypto from Dubai since 2019.