The upcoming Bitcoin Core 30 update, scheduled for release in October, will significantly increase the data limit for the OP_RETURN function — a special operational code that allows users to embed arbitrary data in Bitcoin transactions.
In a statement posted on GitHub, developers said the default OP_RETURN data limit would be increased from the current 80 bytes to nearly 4MB, a change that aligns with Bitcoin’s existing block size limits and which is intended to address issues involving data storage techniques and the unspent transaction output set.
OP_RETURN has long been a point of contention, due mainly to its tension with Bitcoin’s core values of minimalism, decentralization, and resistance to bloat.
This story is an excerpt from the Unchained Daily newsletter.
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Critics argue that removing or significantly increasing the OP_RETURN data limit will encourage more non-financial data to be stored on the blockchain, making it slower
Supporters, conversely, contend that an OP_RETURN data increase will enable new use cases and align with the ways in which Bitcoin is actually being used.
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Bitcoin Core 30 Update to Raise Limit on Controversial OP_RETURN - Unchained
The upcoming Bitcoin Core 30 update, scheduled for release in October, will significantly increase the data limit for the OP_RETURN function — a special operational code that allows users to embed arbitrary data in Bitcoin transactions.
In a statement posted on GitHub, developers said the default OP_RETURN data limit would be increased from the current 80 bytes to nearly 4MB, a change that aligns with Bitcoin’s existing block size limits and which is intended to address issues involving data storage techniques and the unspent transaction output set.
OP_RETURN has long been a point of contention, due mainly to its tension with Bitcoin’s core values of minimalism, decentralization, and resistance to bloat.
This story is an excerpt from the Unchained Daily newsletter.
Subscribe here to get these updates in your email for free
Critics argue that removing or significantly increasing the OP_RETURN data limit will encourage more non-financial data to be stored on the blockchain, making it slower
Supporters, conversely, contend that an OP_RETURN data increase will enable new use cases and align with the ways in which Bitcoin is actually being used.