It is important to quickly understand that Bitcoin is not an object, but rather an encrypted address on the blockchain. What you posses is an actual bitcoin location, which is the reason to protect it always as much as possible, by storing it in a wallet.

The use of bitcoin has come to the notice of a vast number of the world’s population resulting from the numerous streams of endeavours people venture into. The use of bitcoin has made Transactions from different parts of the world easier and stress free. Different countries use varieties of money with their various exchange rates, and this has made transaction from one country to another seem difficult. The use of bitcoin has also reduced constant visit to the banks and other monetary firms. Transactions have been made easier and faster.

Bitcoin is pseudonymous, meaning that funds are not tied to real-world entities but rather bitcoin addresses. Owners of bitcoin addresses are not explicitly identified, but all transactions on the blockchain are public. In addition, transactions can be linked to individuals and companies e.g, transactions that spend coins from multiple inputs indicate that the inputs may have a common owner) and corroborating public transaction data with known information on owners of certain addresses. Additionally, bitcoin exchanges, where bitcoins are traded for traditional currencies, may be required by law to collect personal information.

To heighten financial privacy, a new bitcoin address can be generated for each transaction. For example, step by step deterministic wallets generate “rolling addresses” for every transaction from a single key, while only requiring a single password to be remembered for recovering of other private keys.

A transaction is a transfer of value between Bitcoin wallets that gets included in the blockchain. Bitcoin wallets keep a secret piece of data called a private key. A private key is used to sign transactions, and provides a mathematical proof that they have come from the owner of the wallet. The signature also prevents the transaction from being altered by anybody once it has been put to use. All transactions are spread to the network and are usually confirmed within 10-20 minutes of being sent, through mining.

Bitcoin should be stored safely to prevent any form of loss. Also, exposing your bitcoin to public notice can put you at risk of being scammed or hacked.

Methods of Storing Bitcoin

1. Hardware wallet: Storing your bitcoin in a hardware wallet offline is considered as a safest measure for storing your bitcoin. Some hardware bitcoin storage comes in form of USB drives, which often make use of a security pin number, and can be readily connected to a computer. It also usually comes with a secondary password, but these passwords (both the primary security and the secondary password) should not be forgotten. If peradventure it occurs, it can lead to loss of bitcoin. Hardware wallets are excellently safe and can help economise your expenses. This is obtainable since your bitcoin is stored in a hardware wallet, which particularly cannot be easily accessed at random. It is advisable to keep a small digital wallet that can operate with an offline storage device to assist random purchases if need be.
2. Electronic wallet: This could be downloaded software (a formulated file on your computer that enhances transactions). Third parties are usually the risk of electronic wallets.
3. Software wallet: software wallet gives you a direct control over your bitcoin, with its easy configuration and use of backups in any case of gadget theft, file corruption, and computer hacking.
4. Online wallet: This is more convenient since you can easily access your bitcoin from any device with your second password. It can be achieved with the use of mobile phones, desktops etc. That allows easy bitcoin transactions. The main risk here is trusting the host’s security to prevent your bitcoin from disappearing or trusting them not to close down of the site.
5. Mobile wallet: Certain apps are developed, and used in smartphones for easy bitcoin transactions. Mobile wallets are mostly used in shops or during travel.
6. Paper wallet: This is simply a paper that has both your private and public keys printed on it. It is important to note that paper wallets are best if the bitcoin is not going to be used for a long duration. One should ensure that the paper is kept somewhere safe and mostly in a physical storage gadget.

Despite all the surest methods of storing bitcoin, it is essential to know that bitcoin is not tangible and hence can’t be held or felt. Therefore, much carefulness and caution should be applied in whichever method one chooses to use.

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