Bitcoin's Taproot Annex: Reserved Space Explained
The Taproot annex is a reserved byte field in Bitcoin transactions, committed at signing, consensus-valid today, and blank until a future soft fork fills it.
№ 002BitcoinBitcoin Covenant Proposals: Miner Trust and Recursion
CTV, CSFS, and MATT draw the line between allowed and forbidden differently, and each encodes a distinct bet on miner honesty and script recursion.
№ 003BitcoinBitcoin Output Script Versioning and Covenant Enforcement
How Bitcoin's script versioning lets developers add spending rules without breaking old nodes. The mechanics, tradeoffs, and a worked example.
№ 004BitcoinBitcoin Erlay Protocol: Cutting Node Bandwidth by 40%
Erlay uses set reconciliation to cut Bitcoin node bandwidth ~40%. The mechanism, a worked example, and an honest account of the latency trade-off.
№ 005BitcoinBitcoin Locktime and Sequence Numbers Explained
How Bitcoin's locktime field and sequence numbers combine to create relative timelocks. The mechanics, a worked example, and one common misconception.
№ 006BitcoinBitcoin Signet: Controlled Testing Without Testnet Chaos
Signet replaces proof-of-work with a signature check, giving Bitcoin developers stable block times and reproducible test conditions. The mechanism, examined.
№ 007BitcoinBitcoin's Script Version Byte and Soft Fork Upgrades
Bitcoin's one-byte witness version field lets soft forks add new spending rules without invalidating old wallets or splitting the chain.
№ 008BitcoinBitcoin Script Has No Loops: Security by Design
Bitcoin Script omits loops entirely, not as a limitation, but as a deliberate defense against Denial-of-Service attacks on every node in the network.
№ 009BitcoinBitcoin Compact Block Relay: Latency, Numbers, Mechanics
Compact block relay cuts Bitcoin's propagation bandwidth by ~98%. BIP 152 explained with figures, a worked example, and misconceptions addressed.
№ 010BitcoinBitcoin Replace-by-Fee: Why Merchants and Devs Clash
Replace-by-Fee lets senders bump stuck transactions, but it breaks zero-confirmation payments. Here's the real mechanic behind the tension.
№ 011BitcoinHow SegWit Changed Bitcoin Transaction ID Calculation
SegWit didn't just shrink fees. It fixed a subtle flaw in how Bitcoin transaction IDs are built. Here's the exact mechanism, explained clearly.
№ 012BitcoinHow Hash Functions Prevent Bitcoin Block Malleability
Cryptographic hash functions lock every Bitcoin block into place. Here's the exact mechanism that makes retroactive tampering computationally absurd.