Help:Installing Bitcoin Core

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Anyone can have his own Bitcoin address in minutes. You just need to be running a Bitcoin client and you're ready to go. But before that there are a few thing you might want to know about bitcoin and how to make safe transactions.

Things to know

It is really easy to use bitcoin, however there are a few things you may want to know first.

What is a bitcoin?

A bitcoin is a virtual cryptocurrency. It is often abbreviated as BTC, ฿TC, or ฿. There is currently no official bitcoin symbol yet, however BTC is the most widely accepted short form.

Bitcoin address you say?

A bitcoin address is a string made of up to 35 characters. It is case sensitive, but your bitcoin client is able to tell if the address you're providing is valid. A bitcoin address on the main network will always start with a 1.

You can create as many bitcoin addresses as you want, your bitcoin client will handle all the adresses for you (inside the "address book") and show your global balance. Adresses are anonymous, and unless you give someone your address, nobody knows who is the owner of a given address. It is a common practice when receiving bitcoins to create a new bitcoin address each time. It also allows tracking who is sending you bitcoins, and for what.

Getting my first coins

You can get your first coins for free from the Bitcoin Faucet, or buy them on the market or on one of the exchange services.