What is SPV (Simplified Payment Verification)?
SPV nodes download only block headers and request Merkle proofs for transactions they care about. This trades some trust assumptions for dramatically lower bandwidth, allowing mobile and lightweight wallets to operate safely.
Why SPV (Simplified Payment Verification) matters
Understanding SPV (Simplified Payment Verification) is part of building a solid mental model of how Bitcoin, blockchain and Web3 systems actually work. Concepts in the Bitcoin category sit at the foundation of the broader stack — get them right and the rest is far easier.
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Related terms
- Merkle Root — The single hash summarising all transactions in a block.
- Node — A computer participating in the blockchain network.
More bitcoin terms
- Address (Bitcoin / Crypto Address) — A public destination for receiving cryptocurrency.
- Block Header — The metadata at the top of each block.
- Block Reward — New coins paid to the miner of a block.
- Difficulty — A parameter that controls how hard it is to mine a block.
- Double Spend — Attempting to spend the same coin twice.
- Halving — The scheduled 50% cut in Bitcoin's block subsidy.
- Hash Rate — The total computational power securing the network.
- Mining — Producing new blocks by performing Proof of Work.
Keep exploring
Continue with the full blockchain glossary — 136 terms in total — or read the developer blog and FAQ for deeper context.