Coinbase transaction
The coinbase transaction is the first transaction in every Bitcoin block, creating new BTC out of thin air as the miner's reward.
The coinbase transaction is unique in Bitcoin: it has no input UTXOs (the coins are freshly minted by the protocol) and as its only output the miner reward plus all fees from that block. Every block contains exactly one coinbase transaction at position 0. The name has nothing to do with the similarly named exchange; both reference the same concept, the exchange came later.
Example
In block 840,000 (the 2024 halving block) the coinbase transaction created 3.125 new BTC plus roughly 37 BTC in fees — over 40 BTC for the winning pool.
Frequently asked questions
Why the name 'coinbase'?
The field in the transaction where new coins are 'generated' is historically called the coinbase. It's not a reference to Coinbase.com — that exchange launched in 2012, years after the Bitcoin protocol.
Related terms
Further reading
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