<p>Mining is necessary to <em>create</em> bitcoins, which happens with a coinbase transaction.  But they can be transferred from person to person after that without mining.  (Mining is still used to <em>confirm</em> those transactions, to ensure they cannot be reversed later; but the people making the transactions aren't responsible for that part of it.)</p>

<p>Think about the following analogy.  Regular money is created with a printing press.  But you yourself don't need a printing press in order to make transactions; somebody gives you money, and you give it to someone else.  Sure, at some time in the past, someone had to print that money, but that isn't your concern.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-14T14:54:23.787Z
You are right but for every block or transaction, coinbase transaction is necessary which is not possible without mining
Rinky Goyal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-15T13:29:12.170Z
@RinkyGoyal Right, but it doesn't matter *who* mines.
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-15T13:33:03.773Z
@RinkyGoyal: For every **block**, yes.  For every **transaction**, no!  You don't need a coinbase to make a transaction.  When your transaction is confirmed by being included in a block, that block will contain a single coinbase transaction (created by someone else), but that block can contain a large number of ordinary transactions.
Nate Eldredge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-12T14:20:07.580Z
2016-11-12T14:20:07.580Z
Nate Eldredge
<p>If someone doesn't want to mine, this means that they don't create coinbase transactions. Coinbase transactions are necessary for every transaction.</p>

<p>Can one spend their bitcoin without having to mine?</p>

<transactions><coinbase.com>
Is mining necessary for the transaction
Rinky Goyal
# Is mining necessary for the transaction

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-11-12)

If someone doesn't want to mine, this means that they don't create coinbase transactions. Coinbase transactions are necessary for every transaction.

Can one spend their bitcoin without having to mine?

**Tags:** transactions, coinbase.com


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-11-12. Score: 2

Mining is necessary to *create* bitcoins, which happens with a coinbase transaction. But they can be transferred from person to person after that without mining. (Mining is still used to *confirm* those transactions, to ensure they cannot be reversed later; but the people making the transactions aren't responsible for that part of it.)

Think about the following analogy. Regular money is created with a printing press. But you yourself don't need a printing press in order to make transactions; somebody gives you money, and you give it to someone else. Sure, at some time in the past, someone had to print that money, but that isn't your concern.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: You are right but for every block or transaction, coinbase transaction is necessary which is not possible without mining  
> **username_2**: @RinkyGoyal Right, but it doesn't matter *who* mines.  
> **username_1**: @RinkyGoyal: For every **block**, yes.  For every **transaction**, no!  You don't need a coinbase to make a transaction.  When your transaction is confirmed by being included in a block, that block will contain a single coinbase transaction (created by someone else), but that block can contain a large number of ordinary transactions.  

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