Bitcoin WikiProtocol & technology

Timelock

Updated 9 October 2026StubRandom article

In plain words

A rule that coins (or a key) can only be used after a certain time or block height.

Glossary on the Learn page

See also

Lightning Network
Lightning is a payment network built on top of Bitcoin. Two parties lock bitcoin in a shared channel and then pay each other instantly and cheaply off-chain; payments can hop across channels to reach anyone.
Multisig
Multisig means a payment needs several keys out of a set, for example any 2 of 3. Losing one key, or having one stolen, does not lose the coins.