# How Bitcoin Works You are probably already familiar with how Bitcoin works at a high level, that it uses proof of work, has miners, etc. But to be able to start building with it, it's important to get an in-depth knowledge of how it works under the hood. This module is going to serve as an introduction to how Bitcoin operates under the hood. We'll look at how mining works, the hashing algorithm Bitcoin uses, transactions, UTXOs, basic public key cryptography and address generation, and more. We'll go through step by step, looking at how each component works and how they all interact to create the blockchain itself. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.stacks.co/tutorials/bitcoin-primer/how-bitcoin-works.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.