<p><strong>Assuming the numbers in the link are correct</strong>, then I think this would be right.</p>

<p>I got the same result by multiplying every entry by (1,000,000,000,000 * 3600 * 24 * 2) and adding them up. Came out to 2.008E^26.</p>

<p>But the total number of hashes is much higher. Every block in the blockchain is hashed by every client, every transaction is created using several hashes, etc, etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T17:04:54.703Z
Thanks for checking my computations! Isn't it safe to say that the number of hashes performed when _"block in the blockchain is hashed by every client"_ is negligible in comparison? I'm looking at a significant _"etc, etc"_.. Perhaps, for blockchain maintenance/compaction, which remains quite a mystery to me.
fgrieu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T17:12:20.163Z
Depends what you consider negligible. A rough Fermi estimation for this number would be for the blockchain (500,000 blocks * 1,000,000 total downloads) = 500,000,000,000 and for transactions (250,000,000,000 * 10,000 clients) = 2,500,000,000,000,000. So small in comparison to the mining hash rate, to be sure, but perhaps not negligible.
Luke Mlsna
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-28T04:29:06.757Z
Validating a single block can involve tens or hundreds of thousands of sha256. Every block has a tree of double sha256 leaves, every signature has at least one sha256 possibly multiple.
Claris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T16:56:46.623Z
2017-10-27T16:56:46.623Z
Luke Mlsna
<p>depending on what you are asking, you might want to include all hashing done on all full nodes as part of the transaction validation as well.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T18:30:52.207Z
2017-10-27T18:30:52.207Z
Jonathan Silverblood
<p>I would like to estimate the total number of hashes (double SHA-256) that have been performed for bitcoin purposes.</p>

<p>As an estimate, I downloaded <a href="https://api.blockchain.info/charts/hash-rate?scale=1&amp;timespan=all&amp;format=csv" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mining stats</a>, massaged the numbers (assuming the rate shown is for the period ending at the date indicated and starting at the date before), came to <strong>201⋅10<sup>24</sup> hashes</strong> (equivalently 2<sup>87.38</sup> or 2<sup>88.38</sup> SHA-256) on Oct 28, 2017.<br>
[<strong>update: 517⋅10<sup>24</sup> hashes</strong> that is 2<sup>88.74</sup> or 2<sup>89.74</sup> SHA-256 by May 4, 2018].</p>

<p>Did I goof badly in that estimation of the hashes used for mining?</p>

<p>What other <strong><em>comparably non-negligible</em></strong> number of hashes is performed for bitcoin purposes, and how can that be estimated?</p>

<p>Clarifying: I'm looking only for things that represent a sizable fraction of the number of hashes spent for mining, say at least 0.5%; I'm totally willing to ignore the rest.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T19:41:07.153Z
The total number of non-mining hashes is many orders of magnitude smaller than the mining hashes; much less than your 0.5%.  So in fact you are going to ignore all of them.
Nate Eldredge
<hash><hashpower>
Total number of hashes performed for bitcoin purposes?
fgrieu
# Total number of hashes performed for bitcoin purposes?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-27)

I would like to estimate the total number of hashes (double SHA-256) that have been performed for bitcoin purposes.

As an estimate, I downloaded [mining stats](https://api.blockchain.info/charts/hash-rate?scale=1&timespan=all&format=csv), massaged the numbers (assuming the rate shown is for the period ending at the date indicated and starting at the date before), came to **201⋅1024 hashes** (equivalently 287.38 or 288.38 SHA-256) on Oct 28, 2017.  
[**update: 517⋅1024 hashes** that is 288.74 or 289.74 SHA-256 by May 4, 2018].

Did I goof badly in that estimation of the hashes used for mining?

What other ***comparably non-negligible*** number of hashes is performed for bitcoin purposes, and how can that be estimated?

Clarifying: I'm looking only for things that represent a sizable fraction of the number of hashes spent for mining, say at least 0.5%; I'm totally willing to ignore the rest.

**Tags:** hash, hashpower

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The total number of non-mining hashes is many orders of magnitude smaller than the mining hashes; much less than your 0.5%.  So in fact you are going to ignore all of them.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-10-27. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

**Assuming the numbers in the link are correct**, then I think this would be right.

I got the same result by multiplying every entry by (1,000,000,000,000 \* 3600 \* 24 \* 2) and adding them up. Came out to 2.008E^26.

But the total number of hashes is much higher. Every block in the blockchain is hashed by every client, every transaction is created using several hashes, etc, etc.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for checking my computations! Isn't it safe to say that the number of hashes performed when _"block in the blockchain is hashed by every client"_ is negligible in comparison? I'm looking at a significant _"etc, etc"_.. Perhaps, for blockchain maintenance/compaction, which remains quite a mystery to me.  
> **username_2**: Depends what you consider negligible. A rough Fermi estimation for this number would be for the blockchain (500,000 blocks * 1,000,000 total downloads) = 500,000,000,000 and for transactions (250,000,000,000 * 10,000 clients) = 2,500,000,000,000,000. So small in comparison to the mining hash rate, to be sure, but perhaps not negligible.  
> **username_3**: Validating a single block can involve tens or hundreds of thousands of sha256. Every block has a tree of double sha256 leaves, every signature has at least one sha256 possibly multiple.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-10-27. Score: 0

depending on what you are asking, you might want to include all hashing done on all full nodes as part of the transaction validation as well.


---

