How Is the Hash Rate of a Network Typically Measured and Tracked?

The hash rate is not directly measured but is estimated based on the network's difficulty and the rate at which blocks are found. The difficulty is a known parameter, and the target block time is also fixed.

If blocks are found faster than the target time, the network's hash rate is estimated to have increased. Specialized websites and services track this data by observing the block production rate and calculating the implied hash rate.