Education only
This guide explains technology. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice, and Crypto Life Church (CLC) never recommends buying, selling, or holding any cryptocurrency.
DOGE
What is Dogecoin?
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that started as a lighthearted joke in 2013, featuring the Shiba Inu dog from the popular “Doge” internet meme. It became one of the best-known cryptocurrencies, largely because of its online community.
Like Bitcoin, it is a digital money that people can send directly to each other, secured by mining.
Origins
Who created it and why?
Dogecoin was created in December 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer. They meant it as a fun, friendly take on cryptocurrency at a time when many projects took themselves very seriously.
It was based on existing cryptocurrency code (from Luckycoin, itself based on Litecoin). Today it is maintained by volunteer developers, with the Dogecoin Foundation (opens in a new tab) supporting the project.
Timeline
Brief history and key milestones
December 6, 2013
Dogecoin launches.
January 2014
The community raises Dogecoin to help send the Jamaican bobsled team to the Winter Olympics.
2014
Dogecoin begins “merged mining” with Litecoin, sharing mining work to strengthen security.
2015
The mining reward settles at a fixed 10,000 DOGE per block, with no maximum supply.
2021
Dogecoin's price swings widely, driven in part by social media and celebrity posts.
May 2024
Kabosu, the real dog behind the Doge meme, dies at age 18, prompting tributes from the community.
For beginners
How the technology works
Dogecoin works much like Bitcoin. Computers called miners solve puzzles to add new blocks of transactions, earning new coins. This is proof of work.
Dogecoin uses a different puzzle (called Scrypt) than Bitcoin, and adds a new block about every minute, compared with Bitcoin's ten.
Since 2014, most Dogecoin mining happens alongside Litecoin mining, called merged mining, so the same work secures both networks.
Learn more (optional technical detail)
The supply model
Each block creates 10,000 new DOGE, with no maximum. That's roughly 5 billion new DOGE a year. Because the amount added is fixed while the total keeps growing, the yearly percentage increase slowly gets smaller.
Merged mining with Litecoin
Merged mining (also called auxiliary proof of work) lets miners work on Litecoin and Dogecoin at the same time without extra effort. This made it much harder for anyone to attack Dogecoin's smaller network.
Key ideas
From meme coin to community currency
A meme coin is a cryptocurrency inspired by an internet joke or trend. Dogecoin was one of the first, and many later meme coins copied its style.
Its community became known for friendliness and charity, such as fundraising for the Jamaican bobsled team and sponsoring a NASCAR driver in 2014. Early on, people often used small amounts of DOGE to “tip” each other online.
Unlike Bitcoin's fixed supply, Dogecoin's supply keeps growing by about 5 billion coins a year. Supporters say this encourages spending rather than hoarding; critics say it weighs on value. Either way, it's an important difference.
In practice
Real-world uses
Documented uses
- Tipping and small payments between people online, especially in Dogecoin's early years.
- Community fundraising and charity drives.
- Some businesses accept DOGE, often through payment processors that convert it to regular currency.
Promotional claims to treat with caution
- “Dogecoin is going to the moon.” This is a slogan, not a forecast.
- “A celebrity endorsed it, so it's safe.” A famous person's post is not a guarantee, and prices have fallen sharply after such posts.
Compare
What makes it different?
- It began as a joke and is driven largely by community and culture.
- It has no maximum supply; about 5 billion DOGE are added each year.
- Blocks come about every minute, faster than Bitcoin.
- It is merge-mined with Litecoin.
Fun facts
Did you know?
- 1
The real dog behind the Doge meme was a Shiba Inu named Kabosu from Japan.
- 2
In 2014, the Dogecoin community helped fund the Jamaican bobsled team's trip to the Winter Olympics.
- 3
About 14.4 million new DOGE are created every day (10,000 per block, roughly one block per minute).
Fact vs. fiction
Common misconceptions
Myth: Dogecoin has a fixed supply like Bitcoin.
Fact: It has no maximum; new coins are created with every block.
Myth: Dogecoin is controlled by a celebrity or company.
Fact: No person or company controls it. Celebrity posts have affected its price, but they don't run the network.
Myth: Because it's a joke, it can't lose real money.
Fact: Dogecoin is bought and sold for real money, and its price can drop sharply.
Stay safe
Risks, volatility, and scam warnings
Specific to Dogecoin
- Meme coins are especially prone to hype and sudden price swings, often driven by social media.
- Fake “Dogecoin giveaways” using celebrity names are a common scam. Nobody legitimate doubles the crypto you send them.
- Look-alike meme coins with similar names and dog logos are often created just to cash in on hype.
For every cryptocurrency
- Prices can rise or fall sharply, sometimes within hours. Only people who can afford to lose the money should consider buying any cryptocurrency, and CLC does not recommend buying, selling, or holding any.
- Transactions usually can't be reversed. If you send to the wrong address, or to a scammer, the money is usually gone.
- Whoever controls the keys controls the coins. Anyone who learns your recovery phrase can take everything. No real company or helper will ever ask for it.
- Scammers use well-known names. Fake giveaways, “guaranteed returns,” and impersonated celebrities or companies are common. Learn the warning signs in our Resource Center.
- Rules differ by country and can change. Taxes may apply when you sell or spend cryptocurrency.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Dogecoin a joke?
It began as one, but it is a working cryptocurrency that is bought, sold, and used for payments.
Is there a limit on how many Dogecoins exist?
No. About 10,000 new DOGE are created with each block.
How is Dogecoin secured?
By proof-of-work mining, mostly merged with Litecoin mining.
Who runs Dogecoin?
Volunteer developers maintain the software, and the network is run by miners and node operators. The Dogecoin Foundation supports the project.
Useful terms
Beginner glossary
- Meme coin
- A cryptocurrency inspired by an internet joke or trend.
- Proof of work
- A security method where adding blocks requires costly computing work.
- Merged mining
- Mining two cryptocurrencies at once with the same work.
- Block reward
- The new coins a miner receives for adding a block.
- Tipping
- Sending small amounts of crypto to thank or reward someone online.
Further reading
Sources
Company and project sources describe their own products; we cite them for what the products do, not as endorsements. Last reviewed .
- Dogecoin (opens in a new tab)Project site
- Dogecoin Foundation (opens in a new tab)Dogecoin Foundation
- Dogecoin Core source code (opens in a new tab)GitHub
- How to avoid a scam (opens in a new tab)Federal Trade Commission