Definition
Bitcoin Core, or Satoshi client, is the client software used to access the Bitcoin network.
Understanding the term
By downloading Bitcoin Core, anyone can become a complete node, since it implements all the aspects of the Bitcoin network. Becoming a full node needs system requirements such as the latest versions of OS, free disk space of 7GB, and a broadband connection of 50KB/sec. Consequently, they can independently verify blocks, along with other users’ transactions.
All Bitcoin operations since its launch in 2009 are included in this. Bitcoin core implements Bitcoin wallets, a full network node in the P2P Bitcoin network, and a full copy of the entire transactions in the blockchain.
Bitcoin Core was developed by representing the progression from Bitcoin to Bitcoin-QT and then onto Bitcoin Core. An international community of developers updates and reviews it instead of one company or organization.
Users that frequently transact in Bitcoin can run a node to benefit from its privacy and security features.
A peer-review process ensures that Bitcoin Core upgrades are bug-free and conform to Bitcoin’s principles. After peer-reviewing these proposals, maintainers implement them in the Bitcoin Core. Wladimir van der Laan is the current leader of the Bitcoin Core maintainer team.
Takeaway
Bitcoin Core is the original, and most widely used, implementation where anyone can contribute to the Bitcoin source code. A user can become a node on the Bitcoin network by running the Bitcoin Core code, which helps them verify the validity of blocks received and transactions made within the network.