What is Fractal Bitcoin (FB)?

What Is Fractal Bitcoin (FB)?

Fractal Bitcoin (FB) is the Bitcoin-native scaling solution designed to enhance Bitcoin's capabilities without compromising its foundational principles of decentralization and security. It achieves this by using Bitcoin Core code to create multiple recursive layers on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. Unlike other solutions that rely on external technologies, Fractal Bitcoin ensures that every layer is fully consistent with the main Bitcoin chain. This makes it a truly native scaling approach, offering improved scalability while maintaining compatibility with existing Bitcoin infrastructure, such as wallets and nodes.

As a result, Fractal Bitcoin can support internet-scale applications and drastically reduce network congestion. The key innovation of Fractal Bitcoin lies in its virtualization methodology, which allows for dynamic, on-demand scaling. Each layer is self-replicating and aligned with the Bitcoin chain, ensuring that transactions and data remain traceable and secure. By leveraging this system, Fractal Bitcoin provides a scalable, fast, and consistent environment for both developers and users, while preserving the robustness of the Bitcoin network.

How Fractal Bitcoin Works

Fractal Bitcoin operates by employing a virtualization methodology that enables recursive scaling. This approach allows for unlimited layers to be built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain, each replicating the main chain's structure and consensus. This consistency across layers ensures that transactions and data can always be traced back to the main Bitcoin chain without risking forks or shards, which are often concerns with other blockchain scaling models.

One key feature of Fractal Bitcoin is its dynamic scaling capability, acting as a blockspace load balancer. This enables the blockchain to dynamically scale up or down depending on the demand. As a result, the system can handle large-scale, internet-based applications, while minimizing congestion. Block confirmation times in Fractal Bitcoin are also reduced to 30 seconds or less, providing much faster transaction finality compared to Bitcoin’s standard block times.

Additionally, assets can be easily transferred between the different layers on the Fractal network without the need for complex relay systems, further streamlining operations.

What Is FB Token?

The native cryptocurrency of the Fractal network is the FB token (Fractal Bitcoin). It serves several key functions within the ecosystem, including:

• Transaction fees: Similar to Bitcoin’s native token (BTC), FB is used to pay transaction fees across the Fractal layers.

• Access to services and nodes: The FB token grants access to network nodes and various services within the Fractal ecosystem.

• Project launchpads: New projects and applications launching on the Fractal network use FB as a utility token for various transactions and operations.

• Ecosystem stewardship: FB tokens play a role in maintaining and expanding the network through governance and ecosystem activities.

With a total supply of 210 million tokens, 80% of FB tokens are allocated to community and network activities, while the remaining 20% is reserved for contributors and advisors, ensuring long-term growth and sustainability of the network.

How to Mine Fractal Bitcoin?

Mining Fractal Bitcoin follows the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism, similar to Bitcoin. Miners can use existing ASIC hardware, traditionally employed for Bitcoin mining, to secure the Fractal network. Fractal also supports merged mining, which allows miners to mine both Fractal Bitcoin and Bitcoin simultaneously, maximizing the efficiency of mining operations.

A unique aspect of mining on Fractal Bitcoin is its Cadence Mining model, which balances permissionless mining and merged mining. The mining process includes a cycle where two out of every three blocks are permissionlessly mined, and the third block is merged-mined with Bitcoin. This approach maintains the decentralized nature of mining while benefiting from the security of Bitcoin’s main chain.

To get started with mining, participants need to:

1. Set up a Fractal Bitcoin node.

2. Configure the necessary software and mining pools.

3. Use mining programs such as CPU Miner or GPU Miner, though these may only be effective at low difficulty levels. For most miners, ASIC miners and joining a mining pool will be more effective due to the network’s high difficulty.

By participating in Fractal mining, miners contribute to the network’s security while earning FB tokens as rewards.

Conclusion

Fractal Bitcoin represents a new approach to scaling the Bitcoin blockchain by leveraging native Bitcoin Core code and recursive scaling. With its dynamic scaling capabilities, consistent structure, and the introduction of the FB token, Fractal opens new possibilities for internet-scale applications, seamless asset transfers, and efficient mining practices. For those interested in Bitcoin scalability, Fractal offers a unique model for extending Bitcoin’s capabilities while preserving its core principles.