Whether you're big into crypto or have no interest in it, you've probably heard of Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency ever developed and most valuable by far. And while you can make big bucks by selling Bitcoin, you cannot stake it like many other altcoins out there. But why exactly is this, and will Bitcoin ever be available for staking?

How Does Bitcoin Work?

bitcoins and silver chain on desk

To understand why Bitcoin cannot be staked, let's discuss how it works. As with any cryptocurrency, Bitcoin operates on a blockchain. A blockchain is a kind of distributed ledger that consists of blocks, each of which contains multiple transactions that have recently taken place using a specific cryptocurrency.

In order to make cryptocurrencies as safe and transparent as they are, consensus mechanisms are needed. These come in many different forms, but the most popular is proof of work and proof of stake. Bitcoin uses the former, which was developed and adopted before proof of stake became popular. But what exactly is proof of work?

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Proof of work (PoW) involves miners solving complex mathematical problems to process transaction blocks broadcast to the decentralized network. The miner must expend effort and time to do this, and on the Bitcoin network, a new block is usually broadcast every ten or so minutes.

Essentially, a miner has to guess the right line of code to "win" the block, earning a Bitcoin block reward in the process. By solving these mathematical problems and proving that computing power is being used by doing so, miners help to secure the blockchain, prevent malicious attacks, and process transactions. In addition, the PoW consensus mechanism also prevents "double-spending" from taking place. This involves users spending their cryptocurrency twice, which could be used to scam other Bitcoin users.

So, now we know how Bitcoin works, let's get into why it cannot be staked.

Why Can't Bitcoin be Staked?

bitcoin and cash under green filter

While proof of work is certainly a useful consensus mechanism, it has its flaws. Most notably, proof of work is very energy-intensive, making it a bit of an environmental enemy. This is why Bitcoin is so often criticized for being an electricity guzzler.

This problem has led to the development of a more energy-efficient consensus mechanism: proof of stake (PoS). In short, this mechanism involves validators verifying and creating new blocks on a blockchain within a decentralized network. Validators must stake a certain amount of their own crypto as collateral and get paid rewards in return for their work. This is what makes crypto staking possible.

Any kind of cryptocurrency that can be staked, like Polkadot, Solana, or Cardano, operates using the proof of stake or delegated proof of stake mechanisms. Delegated proof of stake is similar to the former but involves voting for validators. Even Ethereum, which currently uses PoW, is moving to PoS with its Ethereum 2.0 upgrade.

With many different cryptos now adopting proof of stake and staking itself becoming so popular, many wonder whether Bitcoin will ever move on from proof of work.

Will Bitcoin Adopt Proof of Stake?

bitcoins next to statistics on paper

Nothing is ever 100 percent certain in cryptocurrency, but it's highly unlikely that Bitcoin will switch to proof of stake.

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to use proof of work, and it's this mechanism, in particular, that is integral to the blockchain's miners. Introducing a new mechanism would mean every miner would have to adapt to a new way of securing the network and would earn fewer Bitcoin overall.

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Because of this, a shift to proof of stake may get a bit messy, and could severely disrupt the Bitcoin network. On top of this, many loyal Bitcoin owners and miners alike see proof of work as the more secure of the two, as it allows funds to be transferred and stored trustlessly and makes Bitcoin pretty much immutable.

Bitcoin Could Switch to PoS—But It Won't

While many cryptocurrencies are moving on to more energy-efficient pastures, Bitcoin will stay put with its trusty proof of work mechanism. But, in spite of this, there are hundreds of great altcoins out there that can be staked, so you'll still be spoiled for choice in that regard! So, for now, and the foreseeable future, Bitcoin will remain un-stakeable.