Handshake Network Hashrate

What the Handshake network hashrate measures

The network hashrate is the combined computing power that all miners worldwide contribute to the Handshake network. It is mined with specialised Blake2b+SHA3 ASICs, such as the Antminer HS3. A rising hashrate means more competition for the same emission - earnings per hashrate unit decline; a falling hashrate works the other way round. Next to the price, the hashrate is therefore the most important network metric for miners; it is also a measure of chain security, since any attack attempt becomes more expensive as total hashrate rises.

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What Handshake mining actually secures

Handshake serves a different purpose than most proof-of-work networks: it is a decentralised naming system. Top-level domains are auctioned directly on-chain, bids are placed in HNS, and part of every bid is permanently burned. With their hashrate, miners essentially secure an alternative DNS root system - not just payment transactions.

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A comparatively small network

Compared to larger proof-of-work networks, Handshake is a relatively small network. This is also reflected in its pools: there are only a few large pools that provide most of the network hashrate. Details on the distribution are shown on the Handshake mining pools page.

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Difficulty as a control mechanism

Difficulty defines how hard it is to find a valid block and continuously adjusts to the network hashrate to keep the block rate stable. Hashrate and difficulty therefore move in lockstep - switch between both metrics in the chart above to see the relationship directly.

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History: a continuously growing dataset

Cryptohall24 continuously expands its dataset on the Handshake network hashrate through its own monitoring. The charts above show the history recorded so far with a freely selectable time range, growing by one more data point every day.