the blockchain and earn rewards in exchange for doing

Bitcoin miners are individuals or businesses that confirm transactions on the blockchain and earn rewards in exchange for doing so. They do this by using powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems that verify previous bitcoin transactions and add new ones to the blockchain, essentially keeping a running tally of all activity on the network. Miners also earn rewards for every new block they find, as well as a portion of any fees associated with each transaction they confirm. This provides an incentive for miners to continue verifying and approving transactions on the network, even as transaction volumes increase over time.
How Does Bitcoin Mining Work

Mining works by confirming groups of transactions called blocks, each of which builds upon the last one chronologically in the blockchain - kind of like how most books build upon information from previous books (though not always sequentially!). By finding new blocks, miners expand the blockchain and earn rewards for their work in two ways: through block rewards and transaction fees paid by users who use their service to send transactions across the network.

Block rewards are paid out to miners whenever they find a new block - currently 12.5 BTC per block, though this will halve over time until it reaches 0 BTC around 2140 .Transaction fees are paid by users who want their transactions to be confirmed quickly - currently averaging around $0 .40 per transaction but varying based on network conditions . These fees go directly to miners, and incentivize them to keep verifying and approving new transactions.