# BitVM

Source URL: https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitvm
Updated: 2026-05-26T17:14:01.000Z
Letter: B

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BitVM, or the Bitcoin Virtual Machine, is an innovative protocol by [Robin Linus](https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2023-October/021984.html) designed to enable Turing-complete smart contracts on the Bitcoin network without modifying its consensus rules. It achieves this by performing arbitrary computations off-chain using Bitcoin Script and then verifying the results on-chain through a challenge-response system between a prover and a verifier. This challenge-response mechanism enables complex computations using Bitcoin transactions without altering the underlying Bitcoin protocol and ensures that only accurate computations are recorded on the blockchain.

Learn more about BitVM and other iterations by visiting [bitvm.org](https://bitvm.org/).

Navigation: Blockstream Help Center > Education > Glossary > BitVM

## Related Terms in This Letter
- [Blind oracle](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/blind-oracle)
- [Borromean ring signatures](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/borromean-ring-signatures)
- [Bitcoin Script](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitcoin-script)
- [BitVM](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitvm) (current)
- [BOLT12](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bolt12)
- [Bitcoin](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitcoin)
- [Bitcoin Node](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitcoin-node)
- [Bitcoin Core](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bitcoin-core)
- [Bulletproofs](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/bulletproofs)
- [Blind signatures](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/blind-signatures)
- [Blockchain](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/blockchain)
- [Block](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/block)
- [Block Header](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/block-header)
- [Block Height](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/block-height)
- [Blockchain Explorer API](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/blockchain-explorer-api)
- [Broadcast Transaction](https://support.dxp.blockstream.com/education/glossary/broadcast-transaction)