莱特币 vs. 比特币

Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin (BTC), two of the more popular cryptocurrencies in terms of value and influence, are often compared to one another.

 

In fact, Litecoin has been referred to as “silver to Bitcoin’s gold”, a tagline that often entices potential buyers. On the surface, the two cryptocurrencies offer similar value as alternatives to traditional money.

 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the difference between Bitcoin and Litecoin.

litecoin vs bitcoin
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LITECOIN

Litecoin copied and modified Bitcoin’s code with the aim to finalize transactions faster and to pioneer new features before they go live on Bitcoin.

Bitcoin vs litecoin

BITCOIN

比特币是为了应对政府货币操纵而创建的,并试图替代传统政府货币。

While this may be an oversimplification of how these two complex networks work, the goal of this article is to give you a side-by-side comparison of Litecoin vs Bitcoin so you can start to better understand and appreciate the differences yourself. 

The difference between Litecoin and Bitcoin

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Litecoin

October 7th, 2011

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Bitcoin

比特币白皮书于2008年10月31日在密码学邮件列表中发布。其软件后来于2009年1月9日正式上线。

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Litecoin

Charlie Lee

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Bitcoin

比特币是由一个化名为中本聪的个人或团体创建的。时至今日,比特币的创造者仍然不为人知。

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Litecoin

LTC

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Bitcoin

BTC (Note: You may see BTC appear as XBT on other platforms)

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Litecoin

Litecoin was created with the intention to attract merchants who were looking for a quicker way to process transactions.

 

To achieve this, Litecoin copied the Bitcoin code and modified it by reducing the amount of time it took for new blocks of transactions to be added to the blockchain.

 

As interest from merchants in cryptocurrency faded, however, Litecoin would adopt a more aggressive approach to development, pioneering new features like the Lightning Network and Segregated Witness, cutting-edge technologies now live on Bitcoin.

 

As such, the project differs from many other cryptocurrencies in that it has always been positioned as a complement to Bitcoin by serving as a sort of a testnet for new Bitcoin features.

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Bitcoin

Bitcoin is an open-source software that allows its global user base to manage a digital money supply outside the control of any government or central bank.

 

It was created in response to the 2008 global economic crisis as a means to combat inflation. In fact, the first mined block contained the message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks,” a message many believe signifies the project’s revolutionary intent.

 

The Bitcoin software enables the computers running it to manage a ledger (the blockchain) that accounts for all transactions made using its currency (BTC) by enforcing a variety of rules.

 

The Bitcoin blockchain is a full record of the network’s transaction history validated by nodes, or individuals running its software. This ensures that each BTC cannot be copied or modified, and that bitcoins cannot be created or used in a way that is against its rules.

 

Bitcoins are scarce, divisible and transferable, making them a valuable alternative money.

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Litecoin

萊特币是由计算机科学家 , 曾为 Google 员工的 Charlie Lee 在2011年创立的。

 

为了帮助人们 "拥有比特币并持有比特币", Lee放弃了莱特币的开发, 并在2013-2017年加入一家加密货币交易所担任工程总监。

 

2017年末,Lee离开了这家加密货币交易所,并全职从事莱特币的开发。 Lee现在担任致力于该项目的非营利组织 - 莱特币基金会(Litecoin Foundation)的常务董事

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Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s white paper, titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” , was released by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008.

 

The first 50 bitcoins were mined upon the release of the software, enabling a decentralized network of computers to run a digital economy that is still thriving today.

 

Satoshi famously left the project in 2011 and hasn’t been heard of since, though you can find out more about his (or her) attitudes toward the technology in various emails and forum posts.

 

Since then, hundreds of developers have contributed to improving Bitcoin’s code, whether it is routine bug fixes or great, efficiency driven, improvements.

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Litecoin

为了创造一种能替代Visa和PayPal等支付系统的方式,萊特币优先选择了使交易价格更便宜,且交易速度更快捷的设计。

 

莱特币为了保持其网络的安全性和去中心化,它同时利用 工作证明(PoW)挖矿来调节释放到其经济中的新货币供应, 这使矿工竞相完成加密难题以提出构成萊特币区块链的区块。

 

萊特币与比特币的不同之处在于,萊特币大约每2.5分钟就有一个区块被添加到其区块链上(相对于比特币是10分钟)。

 

此外,所需的挖掘软件可与计算机级的硬件一起使用。如今,尽管萊特币的市场主要是被大规模矿工所主导, 但仍可以使用业余爱好者设备来开挖萊特币(LTC)。

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Bitcoin

Central to Bitcoin’s design is the ability for two users to send each other BTC from anywhere around the world, without the need for an intermediary.

 

In order to keep its network secure and decentralized, while regulating the supply of new money that gets released into its economy, Bitcoin uses a process called “mining”.

 

In this system, called Proof of Work (PoW), miners race to complete cryptographic puzzles to propose blocks that make up the Bitcoin blockchain.

 

When a block is discovered by a miner, it is announced to the network, and, when it’s verified by every node, the miner gets compensated in newly minted BTC. 

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Litecoin

Litecoin’s cryptocurrency, LTC, has a limited maximum supply, meaning that according to the software’s rules there will only ever be 84 million LTC.

 

Similar to Bitcoin, 50 LTC were released when the first block was mined in 2011 and the block reward gets halved roughly every four years.

 

Through this process, more than 66 million LTC have been made available as of 2020. The last LTC is projected to be mined in 2142.

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Bitcoin

One of the biggest value propositions of Bitcoin is its monetary policy – only 21 million BTC will ever be introduced into the network’s economy.

 

When the first block was mined in 2009, 50 BTC were released, a block reward that is cut in half roughly every four years. This event is known as the halving, or halvening.

 

Through this process, more than 18 million BTC have been made available as of 2020. The last bitcoin is projected to be mined in 2140.

实用资源

If you are interested in learning more about Bitcoin and Litecoin, please visit Kraken’s What is Bitcoin? and What is Litecoin? pages.

 

Want more in depth information on specific cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects? If so, visit our Learn Center to further your education on this ever-growing space.