Reassuring its position as the most resilient blockchain network against attacks, the Bitcoin (BTC) network recorded a new all-time high network difficulty for the second time this month in April – jumping from its previous all-time high of 28.587 trillion to 29.794 trillion.
Greater network difficulty demands greater computational power to successfully mine a BTC block, which prevents bad actors from taking over the network and manipulating transactions, also known as double-spending.
As evidenced by data from blockchain.com, Bitcoin’s network difficulty has seen almost a year-long uptrend since August 1, 2021. Before that, between May and July 2021, was a timeline when BTC network difficulty fell nearly 45.5% from 25.046 trillion to 13.673 trillion – at the time raising momentary concerns about the network’s vulnerability.
Bitcoin network difficulty. Source: Blockchain.com
Further cementing Bitcoin’s resilience against 51% attacks, on April 28, the Bitcoin network hash rate too recorded a new ATH of 258 EH/s. As shown below, the network hash rate eased down to the 220 EH/s mark by the end of the month with no visible negative impact on the BTC network difficulty.
Bitcoin total hash rate. Source: Blockchain.com
The month of April also was witness to one of the lowest average transaction fees on the Bitcoin network – the cost associated with transferring BTC. For the first time in two years, on April 18, the average BTC transaction fee fell down to $1.039, which at its highest was $62.788 in April 2021.
While Bitcoin miners continue to pursue the last 2 million BTC into circulation, the network is well-positioned to attain a newer all-time high with respect to overall security and price.
Related: Bitcoin hodlers targeting $100K is what’s preventing 40% price drawdown, data suggests
New research paints an optimistic picture about BTC, underscoring the strength of hodlers hoping for all-time highs.
As Cointelegraph reported, on-chain indicators suggest bullish momentum thanks to a lack of short-term holders (STHs), as noted by popular analyst “Root”:
“Since we didn’t reach prices above 100K, which so many expected, many still believe this will eventually happen and might therefore hold on to their coins.”