Bitcoin Forum

Why only put 21 million units in the source code?

To make it scares, which even with high demand the scarcity will still make it maintain it's a very high value.
I don't know if the creator "Satoshi" any other reason why it was only made 21,000. But I don't think their is any.

Maybe 200 Billion could have sound better right ?
That's 200 Billion Bitcoin total supply 🤔
Bitcoin Meme Token.
Bitcoin is just perfect the way it is, we don't question the programming.

How is the 21 million bitcoin cap defined and enforced? (https://blog.lopp.net/how-is-the-21-million-bitcoin-cap-defined-and-enforced/)
Why is bitcoin's supply limit set to 21 million? (https://decrypt.co/34876/why-is-bitcoins-supply-limit-set-to-21-million)

Hopefully it has answers you are finding.

According to Loop



However,  I don't think there is any particular reason.
More important than "Why is 21 the limit" is that there is a limit after all.

One of the major factors would be to consider a sufficient reward for miner in relation to price, period of time the reward will last and deflation. If you consider the amount of reward that'll be sufficient for miners in relation to price of Bitcoin and make the reward last as long as possible by estimating how long the Bitcoin system could possibly last in relation to human civilization and changing tech ... maybe you say in the next 200 years.  As an early Bitcoin developer, Just multiple the time by the number of BitCoins that will be issued every day (while considering deflation) and you get your answer.

Take note that there is no "21 millions" in bitcoin source code.
Satoshi set the initial block reward to 50 BTC and decided that bitcoin block reward is halved every 210,000 blocks. This makes the total supply approximately 21 millions.
The exact supply of bitcoin is 20,999,999.9769 BTC.

I think it is very relevant to limit the total supply of Bitcoin to 21 million units, the creators of cryptocurrencies are trying to prevent inflation and maintain the purchasing power of cryptocurrencies over time to create scarcity and ensure the long term value of cryptocurrencies and This is different from traditional fiat currencies, which can be inflated through government policies such as quantitative easing or deficit spending.

As the Bitcoin supply approaches its limit, miners will rely more and more on transaction fees to maintain their profitability. This creates a positive feedback loop where higher transaction fees encourage more miners to join the network, which in turn results in greater network security and stability.

The limit of 21 million units in the Bitcoin source code is a key feature of the cryptocurrency that has helped promote its long-term value and stability.

I guess is to maintained it values system, capitalist are too advantageous if it exceeds 21M units, the bourgeois may apply control force to diverts it power network but since is limited one person cannot occupy it over time.

Are you sure there are 21 million units? i don't think so... As other users already mention, those 21 units is a tricky number because bitcoin has 8 zeros after the point, and that means the total units can be a lot more than 21 million.

Maybe your question is: Why limit the total of coins and not make the infinite? And the answer is - Because finite elements will always have a greater value than infinite elements. And 21M is a good number, isn't small or isn't big.

Correct, that is one of the innovations of bitcoin, as we know fiat has no limit at all, while in the case of gold the limit is the gold that is on our planet, and while there are estimates about that amount that is all what they are, bitcoin as far as I know is the first form of money with a hard cap, and when we take into account its many other characteristics then this makes it incredibly valuable and one of the best assets to hold for the long term.

Bitcoin will not reach 21000000 because every 210000 blocks you are only allow to create half of the previews btc that allowed to be created. So since the Genesis block is 50 Btc, it can be divided by half into 33 times.
Like this:

Controlled supply (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Controlled_supply)

21 million is a rounded number that is more easily to use in discussion than 20999999.9769.