<p><strong>The Bitcoin network is unstructured.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer#Routing_and_resource_discovery" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia describes it</a> like this</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unstructured peer-to-peer networks do not impose a particular structure on the overlay network by design, but rather are formed by nodes that randomly form connections to each other.[13] (Gnutella, Gossip, and Kazaa are examples of unstructured P2P protocols).[14]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bitcoin uses a specific variety of <a href="https://nakamoto.com/bitcoins-p2p-network/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">gossip protocol</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p>The Bitcoin network is mostly layered on the Internet Protocol (IP) network which is structured in the sense of routing vs bridging. As <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia puts it</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Routing, in a more narrow sense of the term, is often contrasted with bridging in its assumption that network addresses are structured and that similar addresses imply proximity within the network. Structured addresses allow a single routing table entry to represent the route to a group of devices. In large networks, structured addressing (routing, in the narrow sense) outperforms unstructured addressing (bridging). Routing has become the dominant form of addressing on the Internet. Bridging is still widely used within localized environments.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-10T09:25:29.430Z
2021-08-10T09:25:29.430Z
RedGrittyBrick
<p>I can't find information about if the p2p network of Bitcoin is unstructured (the nodes are not organized in any specific way), or if it is structured (the nodes do have a way to interact with each other).
Thank you.</p>

<p2p>
Is Bitcoins' peer-to-peer network unstructured or structured?
Julia
# Is Bitcoins' peer-to-peer network unstructured or structured?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-08-10)

I can't find information about if the p2p network of Bitcoin is unstructured (the nodes are not organized in any specific way), or if it is structured (the nodes do have a way to interact with each other).
Thank you.

**Tags:** p2p


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-08-10. Score: 2

**The Bitcoin network is unstructured.**

[Wikipedia describes it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer#Routing_and_resource_discovery) like this

> Unstructured peer-to-peer networks do not impose a particular structure on the overlay network by design, but rather are formed by nodes that randomly form connections to each other.[13] (Gnutella, Gossip, and Kazaa are examples of unstructured P2P protocols).[14]

Bitcoin uses a specific variety of [gossip protocol](https://nakamoto.com/bitcoins-p2p-network/).

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The Bitcoin network is mostly layered on the Internet Protocol (IP) network which is structured in the sense of routing vs bridging. As [Wikipedia puts it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network)

> Routing, in a more narrow sense of the term, is often contrasted with bridging in its assumption that network addresses are structured and that similar addresses imply proximity within the network. Structured addresses allow a single routing table entry to represent the route to a group of devices. In large networks, structured addressing (routing, in the narrow sense) outperforms unstructured addressing (bridging). Routing has become the dominant form of addressing on the Internet. Bridging is still widely used within localized environments.


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