When Satoshi Nakamoto launched Bitcoin in 2009, there was little dissimilarity between running a Bitcoin node and mining bitcoins. Therefore, node operators and miners were identified as the same actors in the network since many users who ran nodes on their computers could also mine bitcoin profitably on those same processors.
Bitcoin mining was a sort of a DIY job, distant from the mining industry it has grown into in more recent years, flourishing alongside the price of bitcoin and the incentive to mine.
One of the most significant differences between Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies is the absence of pre-mined bitcoins (coins issued before the project's launch). Indeed, Satoshi launched the network before mining bitcoin so that he could not have any advantage over anyone who wanted to participate in the system.
Once the network was launched on Jan. 3, 2009, he mined the first block, identified as the Genesis block or block 0, containing 50 bitcoins. As the only miner on the Bitcoin network at the time, Satoshi created blocks using an average personal computer.
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The Bitcoin network's hardware experienced rapid technological evolution in only ten years. The mining equipment required to generate new bitcoin and add new transactions on the blockchain plays a fundamental role in the network's success because it determines whether or not it is profitable for miners to run such a business.