SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) is the original Proof of Work mining algorithm introduced by Bitcoin in 2009. It is the most well-known and widely used mining algorithm in the cryptocurrency industry. SHA-256 is used by Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and several other cryptocurrencies.
SHA-256 mining is exclusively done using ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) devices. GPU and CPU mining of SHA-256 coins has not been profitable for many years due to the extremely high network difficulty. Popular ASIC manufacturers for SHA-256 include Bitmain (Antminer series), MicroBT (Whatsminer series), and Canaan (Avalon series). Modern SHA-256 ASICs deliver hashrates measured in hundreds of terahashes per second (TH/s).
Bitcoin's block reward undergoes a halving event approximately every four years (every 210,000 blocks), reducing the mining reward by half. The current block reward is 3.125 BTC after the April 2024 halving. Bitcoin Cash follows the same halving schedule with a current block reward of 3.125 BCH.
Default mining profit is calculated for 300 Nvidia 3070 GPUs with total hashrate: 200 TH/s on SHA256
| Cryptocurrency | Cryptocurrency | Difficulty (3h) | Nethash (3h) | Profit 24h | Exchange Rate (BTC) | 24h Volume | Miner Share (3h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BitcoinBTC | Bitcoin Difficulty (3h) 135.59 T Nethash (3h) 1.03 Zh/s Miner Share (3h) 99.44 % Profit 24h 6.87 $ 0.000 BTC | 135.59 T | 1.03 Zh/s | 6.87 $0.000 BTC | 1.00000000 | 30 304M $ | 99.44 % |
Bitcoin CashBCH | Bitcoin Cash Difficulty (3h) 814.17 G Nethash (3h) 5.35 Eh/s Miner Share (3h) 0.52 % Profit 24h 6.66 $ 0.015 BCH | 814.17 G | 5.35 Eh/s | 6.66 $0.015 BCH | 0.00587375 | 202.1M $ | 0.52 % |
Quai SHA256QUAI | Quai SHA256 Difficulty (3h) 362.96 P Nethash (3h) 430.26 Ph/s Miner Share (3h) 0.04 % Profit 24h 8.34 $ 237.26 QUAI | 362.96 P | 430.26 Ph/s | 8.34 $237.26 QUAI | 0.00000047 | 542 331 $ | 0.04 % |
