In the document "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," Satoshi Nakamoto outlined the fundamentals of the Bitcoin network, including:

Decentralization:

The absence of a single center of control or management over the network.

Peer-to-peer network:

Transactions occur directly between users, bypassing intermediaries.

Cryptography:

The use of cryptographic methods to secure transactions, ensure anonymity, and prevent counterfeiting.

Consensus mechanism (Proof-of-Work):

Miners solve complex cryptographic problems to validate transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain.

Limited supply of bitcoins:

The maximum number of bitcoins that can be mined is capped at 21 million.

Public ledger (blockchain):

All transactions are recorded in the blockchain, making them visible to all network participants while maintaining user anonymity.

This protocol and the first version of Bitcoin software built on it laid the foundation for the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies.