# What is Hive?

> Hive is a free, open network for posting, building online communities, and sending money, where no single company owns or controls users' accounts, content, or funds. Technically, Hive (also called the Hive blockchain or Hive chain) is a public blockchain that launched on 20 March 2020.

This file summarises https://whatishive.com/, an independent, plain-language explainer of Hive for people with no blockchain background. It is not affiliated with any company. Last reviewed: 2026-09-24.

## Definition

Hive is a place online for posting, chatting, building, and getting paid that isn't owned or controlled by a single company. Accounts are controlled by cryptographic keys held by each user, so no company can delete an account, take a cut of earnings, or change the rules unilaterally. People use Hive through apps such as PeakD and Ecency (blogging and social), and Splinterlands (a card game), which all read from the same shared network, so a user's account, followers, and posts work across apps.

## Key facts

- Type: public, open-source blockchain; launched 20 March 2020.
- Currencies: HIVE, and the Hive Backed Dollar (HBD), designed to track one US dollar. HBD held in savings earns interest at a rate set by the network's elected block producers; savings withdrawals take three days.
- Transactions: confirm in about three seconds with no transaction fees. Usage is limited by a regenerating allowance ("Resource Credits") based on the HIVE an account has staked ("Hive Power").
- Governance: block producers called witnesses are elected by stake-weighted votes of HIVE holders; each round is produced by the top 20 elected witnesses plus one rotating backup. A community-run fund (the Decentralized Hive Fund) pays for development through proposals that holders vote on.
- Origin: a community-led copy (fork) of the Steem network, created after a 2020 dispute over control of Steem.
- Not related to (same name, different things): HIVE Digital Technologies (Nasdaq: HIVE; bitcoin-mining and data-centre company, formerly HIVE Blockchain Technologies; its shares are not the HIVE currency), Hive.com (project-management software), Hive Social (social media app), Hive smart home (Centrica/British Gas thermostats and energy products), Apache Hive (data-warehouse software), Hive AI (thehive.ai, content moderation and deepfake detection), and Hive OS / Hiveon (crypto-mining management software).

## FAQ

- Is it Hive, the Hive blockchain, the Hive network, or the Hive chain? All four names refer to the same public network; this page and the community use them interchangeably.
- What is Hive, technically? A public blockchain: a shared record of accounts, posts, and payments kept in sync by many independent computers. It launched in March 2020, has two currencies (HIVE and HBD), confirms fee-less transactions in about three seconds, and is run by block producers ("witnesses") elected by HIVE holders.
- Is Hive the same as Hive.com or HIVE Digital Technologies? No. Hive.com is a project-management app and HIVE Digital Technologies is a publicly traded bitcoin-mining company (ticker HIVE) whose shares are not the HIVE currency. Hive Social, Hive smart home, Apache Hive, Hive AI, and Hive OS are also unrelated.
- Is Hive a scam? No. It is open-source software that has run in public since March 2020, anyone can audit its code and transactions, and it was never sold to investors in a fundraising sale. HIVE's price is volatile, and phishing scams target users' keys.
- How do I get started? Create a free account with Ecency (email address) or InLeo (Google or X account), or see every option at https://signup.hive.io/. Store the keys you receive safely (there is no password reset), then log in to an app like Ecency or PeakD and write an introduction post tagged introduceyourself. Step-by-step guide: https://whatishive.com/get-started/
- How is Hive different from a bank or social media platform? Those services hold accounts on users' behalf and can freeze or close them. Hive accounts are controlled only by the user's keys, so no one can shut them down or move funds, but lost keys can't be reset and mistaken payments can't be reversed.
- What happened between Hive and Steem? In early 2020, after Steemit Inc. was bought by Tron founder Justin Sun, exchange-held customer funds were used to vote in new Steem block producers. Much of the community objected and launched Hive in March 2020, carrying over accounts, posts, and balances except those of Steemit Inc. and accounts that backed the takeover. The networks have been separate since.

## Links

- [whatishive.com](https://whatishive.com/): this plain-language explainer
- [How to create a Hive account](https://whatishive.com/get-started/): free, step-by-step beginner guide
- [hive.io](https://hive.io/): official overview of the Hive network
- [developers.hive.io](https://developers.hive.io/): developer documentation
- [signup.hive.io](https://signup.hive.io/): ways to create an account
- [PeakD](https://peakd.com/): blogging and communities
- [Ecency](https://ecency.com/): social posting app (web and mobile)
- [Splinterlands](https://splinterlands.com/): trading card game on Hive