They just offer to verify transactions and maintain the blockchain.
Unfortunately that’s the issue. Only a small amount of miners are the ones making a significant dent in mining. Consumer hardware cannot compete with the corporations with large asic mining warehouses, especially ones run by governments and large corporations. This leads to further centralization due to the high barrier of entry and makes the blockchain susceptible to manipulation and things like a 51 percent attack.
Unfortunately that’s the issue. Only a small amount of miners are the ones making a significant dent in mining. Consumer hardware cannot compete with the corporations with large asic mining warehouses, especially ones run by governments and large corporations. This leads to further centralization due to the high barrier of entry and makes the blockchain susceptible to manipulation and things like a 51 percent attack.