Bitcoin vs ICP

Bitcoin is the first decentralized blockchain, secured by proof‑of‑work where miners expend SHA‑256 hash power to find valid blocks every ~10 minutes. The supply is capped at 21 million coins, with inflation halving roughly every four years—the most recent halving occurred on 20 April 2024. Upgrades like SegWit and Taproot have enabled second‑layer protocols such as the Lightning Network and emerging covenants via OP_CTV debates.

The Internet Computer (ICP) is a Layer‑1 that runs WebAssembly ‘canisters’ directly on chain, with sub‑second query calls and 2‑second update finality. Boundary nodes translate HTTP requests into signed chain queries, enabling dApps to serve web front‑ends without traditional servers. ICP’s reverse GAS model bills cycles in stable dollar terms, shielding developers from token volatility.