Mining talk is full of acronyms: TH/s, J/TH, FPPS, PDU. Here are the 50 terms that matter, grouped by topic, each in one plain sentence.
By Michal Beno, CEO, OneMiners23 October 2026
Bitcoin mining has four layers of jargon. The network words describe the ledger and its rules. The hardware words describe the machines. The economics words describe how miners get paid. The hosting words describe where the machines run. Learn about a dozen in each group and you can read any mining article, spec sheet or hosting offer.
50
terms in this glossary
970 EH/s
network hashrate today
3.125 BTC
block subsidy
$40
hashprice, per PH/s per day
mempool.space, blockchain.info and CoinGecko, 5 October 2026. Hashprice is subsidy only, before fees.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How to use this glossary
The 50 terms are split into four groups that follow the life of a block: the network that agrees on the ledger, the hardware that competes to extend it, the economics that decide who gets paid, and the hosting that keeps the machines running. Each definition is one plain sentence. Where a number helps, it is today's number, as of early October 2026.
The 50 terms by category
Number of terms in each section of this glossary
OneMiners glossary, October 2026. The network section is largest because every other term builds on it.
Network and protocol terms
These words describe Bitcoin itself: the shared ledger, the computers that keep it, and the puzzle miners solve to add to it. If you only learn three, make them block, difficulty and halving.
Network and protocol: 14 terms
Block height and network data: mempool.space, 5 October 2026. Retarget and halving intervals: Bitcoin Core source code, checked 6 October 2026.
Two of these terms set the rhythm of all mining income. Difficulty adjusts every 2,016 blocks so blocks keep coming roughly every 10 minutes, however much equipment joins. It sits at about 132.7 T today. The halving cuts the new-coin subsidy in half every 210,000 blocks, roughly every four years. The next one is expected around block 1,050,000, in spring 2028.
The block subsidy after each halving
New bitcoin paid per block, by era
Bitcoin protocol schedule: the subsidy halves every 210,000 blocks. About 20.09 million of 21 million BTC were mined by 5 October 2026 (blockchain.info).
Hardware terms
These describe the machine itself. The two numbers that matter most on any Bitcoin miner are hashrate and J/TH. A spec sheet lists both, plus the watts, which you can always check with one sum: watts divided by TH/s equals J/TH.
Hardware: 12 terms
Example wattage: Antminer S21 Pro 245 TH/s, 3,675 W, OneMiners catalogue, 6 October 2026.
Hashrate units climb in steps of 1,000, exactly like grams to kilograms to tonnes. A hobby Bitaxe makes about 1.2 TH/s; an Antminer S21 Pro makes 245 TH/s; the whole network makes about 970 EH/s, which is 970 million TH/s.
The hashrate units ladder
Hashes per second, shown as a power of 10 (each step is 1,000 times the last)
SI prefixes. Network hashrate today: about 970 EH/s, mempool.space 3-day average, 5 October 2026.
Mining economics terms
These words describe how mining turns into money. Almost every small miner joins a pool, gets paid for shares, and judges equipment by hashprice and break-even power price.
Mining economics: 12 terms
Hashprice about $0.0398 per TH/s per day ($40 per PH/s), subsidy only, at BTC $85,739 and 970 EH/s, 5 October 2026.
Three of these terms connect into two short formulas. Revenue depends on hashrate and hashprice; the power bill depends on watts and your electricity price. Break-even is the price where the two meet.
THREE FORMULAS FROM THIS GLOSSARY
J/TH = watts / TH/s (3,675 / 245 = 15.0)
Revenue per day = TH/s x 0.0398 (245 x 0.0398 = $9.75)
Break-even $/kWh = 0.0398 / (24 x J/TH / 1,000) (= $0.111)
Break-even power price by efficiency
Highest electricity price each Bitcoin miner can pay and still cover power, USD per kWh
Break-even = hashprice / (24 x J/TH), hashprice $0.0398 per TH/s per day, 5 October 2026. Power only; hardware cost not included. Specs: OneMiners catalogue, 6 October 2026.
Hosting terms
Most Bitcoin miners do not run in homes. They are loud, hot and need heavy wiring, so owners place them in a hosting facility and pay per kWh. These words come up in every hosting offer.
Hosting: 12 terms
Definitions as used across the hosting industry, October 2026. Always read what a quoted per-kWh rate includes.
Here is how the terms fit together for one machine. An Antminer S21 Pro draws 3,675 W, so it uses 88.2 kWh a day. At a hosting rate of $0.048 per kWh that is $4.23 a day of power, against about $9.75 of revenue at today's hashprice. The difference is the daily margin before fees.
One Bitcoin miner, every term in use
Antminer S21 Pro spec and price ($2,299): OneMiners catalogue, 6 October 2026. Hashprice $0.0398 per TH/s per day, subsidy only, 5 October 2026.
Antminer S21 Pro 245T$2,299Hashrate245 TH/sEfficiency15.00 J/THPower draw3,675 WBreak-even power$0.111/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$5.52View on OneMiners
Antminer S23 318T$6,899Hashrate318 TH/sEfficiency11.00 J/THPower draw3,498 WBreak-even power$0.151/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$8.63View on OneMiners
Antminer S23 Hyd 580T$12,299Hashrate580 TH/sEfficiency9.50 J/THPower draw5,510 WBreak-even power$0.175/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$16.74View on OneMiners
Three Bitcoin miners on the OneMiners catalogue, live prices 6 October 2026. Card figures use hashprice including recent fees, so they can differ slightly from the subsidy-only examples.
Jargon is a barrier, not a moat. Once you know that J/TH sets your power bill and kWh price sets what that bill costs, you can compare any Bitcoin miner or hosting offer yourself. OneMiners hosting starts from $0.048 per kWh, and from $0.0364 on a 7-year prepaid contract. Try any model in the mining calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important Bitcoin mining term to learn first?
J/TH. It tells you how much energy a Bitcoin miner needs for each unit of work, and power is the biggest running cost.
What is the difference between hashrate and hashprice?
Hashrate is speed: guesses per second. Hashprice is income per unit of speed per day, about $40 per PH/s at today's numbers.
What is the difference between the block reward and the block subsidy?
The subsidy is the new bitcoin, 3.125 BTC per block today. The block reward is the subsidy plus all the transaction fees in that block.
Is FPPS or PPLNS better?
FPPS pays a steady amount for every share, so income is smoother. PPLNS pays only when the pool finds blocks, so it swings more. Most small miners prefer the predictability of FPPS.
What does an all-in hosting rate include?
Usually power, cooling, rack space, network and on-site care, billed per kWh. Always check what is and is not included before comparing offers.
What is a satoshi?
The smallest unit of bitcoin: one hundred-millionth of a coin, or 0.00000001 BTC.
Now put the terms to work on a real Bitcoin miner.
Open the mining calculatorSee hosting locationsSOURCES AND DATA
- BTC price $85,739: CoinGecko, 5 October 2026
- Hashrate, difficulty, block height: mempool.space and blockchain.info, 5 October 2026
- Bitcoin supply 20.09 million: blockchain.info total bitcoin counter, 5 October 2026
- Halving schedule and 2,016-block retarget: Bitcoin Core source code, checked 6 October 2026
- Miner specs and prices: OneMiners catalogue, 6 October 2026
- Hosting rates: published OneMiners location pages
Michal Beno
CEO of OneMiners, the global Bitcoin mining hosting and hardware platform with 15 published hosting locations, 7-year fixed electricity contracts and a 7-year hardware warranty. He writes about the economics of industrial Bitcoin mining.
Informational only, not financial advice. Figures are a snapshot from public market data and news reports as of 5 October 2026 and can change quickly. Crypto prices can fall as well as rise. No return is offered or implied. Do your own research.
