Hash rate counts how many hash attempts the whole network performs each second, quoted in units such as exahashes per second. It is a measure of how much hardware and electricity currently stands behind the chain, and therefore of what an attacker would have to out-spend to rewrite it.
The number is estimated rather than observed — no one can survey every machine, so it is inferred from how quickly blocks are found relative to the difficulty. That makes short-term readings noisy and only multi-day averages meaningful. Sustained declines usually track miner profitability or regional power disruptions rather than anything about the network's health.
What does rising hash rate mean?
More computing power is committed to mining, which raises the cost of attacking the chain. It usually follows improved mining profitability, and difficulty adjusts upward in response to keep block times steady.
Last updated October 17, 2026