<blockquote>
  <p>As I understand each transaction is encrypted, how is that decryption done by the miner for validation without a private key?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That is incorrect. Transactions are not encrypted. No part of the Bitcoin protocol or consensus rules specify that anything should be encrypted. In fact, nothing can be encrypted as the protocol relies on the fact that everyone is able to read all blocks and transactions in order to validate them.</p>

<p>You may be confusing digital signatures with encryption. Digital signatures in Bitcoin are used to ensure that a person is allowed to spend some coins. Signatures are used as a proof that the person who created a transaction is allowed to actually make that transaction and spend the coins that it spends.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-18T07:47:26.823Z
2017-07-18T07:47:26.823Z
Ava Chow
<p>I am trying to grasp basic concepts and wanted to know if miners can read contents of a block, if not, how is block validation done. As I understand each transaction is encrypted, how is decryption done by the miner for validation, without a private key? </p>

<block><validation>
Reading a block
rsapru
# Reading a block

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-18)

I am trying to grasp basic concepts and wanted to know if miners can read contents of a block, if not, how is block validation done. As I understand each transaction is encrypted, how is decryption done by the miner for validation, without a private key?

**Tags:** block, validation


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-07-18. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

> As I understand each transaction is encrypted, how is that decryption done by the miner for validation without a private key?

That is incorrect. Transactions are not encrypted. No part of the Bitcoin protocol or consensus rules specify that anything should be encrypted. In fact, nothing can be encrypted as the protocol relies on the fact that everyone is able to read all blocks and transactions in order to validate them.

You may be confusing digital signatures with encryption. Digital signatures in Bitcoin are used to ensure that a person is allowed to spend some coins. Signatures are used as a proof that the person who created a transaction is allowed to actually make that transaction and spend the coins that it spends.


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