P2WSH
Native SegWit script locking bitcoins to the hash of a script, bc1q addresses.
P2WSH stands for Pay to Witness Script Hash. It is a standard script model used to establish spending conditions on a UTXO. P2WSH was introduced with the implementation of SegWit in August 2017.
This script is similar to P2SH (Pay to Public Script Hash), as it also locks bitcoins based on the hash of a script. The difference lies in how signatures and scripts are included in the transaction. To spend the bitcoins on this type of script, the recipient must provide the original script, called
witnessScript (equivalent to redeemScript), along with the required signatures. This mechanism allows for the implementation of more sophisticated spending conditions, such as multisigs.In the context of P2WSH, the signature script information (the
scriptWitness, equivalent to scriptSig) is moved from the traditional transaction structure to a separate section called Witness. This move is a feature of the SegWit (Segregated Witness) update that helps to prevent signature malleability. P2WSH transactions are generally less expensive in terms of fees compared to Legacy transactions, as the part in the witness costs less.P2WSH addresses are written using
Bech32 encoding with a checksum in the form of BCH code. These addresses always start with bc1q. P2WSH is a version 0 SegWit output.TermDefinition
51% attack
An attack where a malicious actor controls more than half of the mining hash power, allowing them to manipulate transactions, notably by performing double spends.
Account
In an HD wallet, a derivation level (depth 3) allowing hierarchical organization of keys and addresses.
Activation method
The process by which the Bitcoin community decides to activate a soft fork, seeking consensus among miners and users to avoid a blockchain split.
Adaptor signature
A cryptographic technique linking a signature to a secret, such that publishing the signature reveals the secret. Useful for atomic swaps without a trusted intermediary.
Addr
An old Bitcoin network message that allowed communicating IP addresses of nodes accepting connections. Replaced by addrv2 (BIP155) to support longer address formats.
Addr.dat
An old file in Bitcoin Core that stored information about network peers. Replaced by peers.dat since version 0.7.0.
Address reuse
A discouraged practice of using the same Bitcoin address multiple times to receive payments, which harms privacy by allowing funds to be traced.
Address spoofing
An attack where a malicious actor creates an address closely resembling the victim's to deceive them and divert their payments.
Addrv2
A new network message format (BIP155) allowing the broadcasting of Bitcoin node addresses. Supports longer addresses such as Tor v3 or I2P.
Agorism
A libertarian political philosophy advocating economic action outside of state control (counter-economy) to progressively undermine state power.
Air cooling
A cooling system for mining machines using fans to dissipate heat. The most widespread and least expensive method.
Altcoin
Designates any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. A contraction of alternative and coin.
Aluvm
A virtual machine designed for deterministic execution of smart contracts, notably within the context of the RGB protocol on Bitcoin.
Analysis heuristic
An empirical method used to trace Bitcoin flows on the blockchain based on observable characteristics within transactions.
Ancestor mining
A principle whereby a miner selects transactions taking into account the fees of parent transactions, not only their own fees. Also called CPFP.
Anchor
In the RGB protocol, a set of data proving the inclusion of a commitment in a Bitcoin transaction, without publicly revealing its content.
Anchor outputs
A mechanism on Lightning allowing adjustment of the fees of a commitment transaction after its creation, to ensure quick channel closure.
Anchors.dat
A Bitcoin Core file storing IP addresses of nodes the client was connected to before shutdown, to facilitate reconnection on restart.
Anonsets (anonymity sets)
Indicators measuring the degree of privacy of a UTXO by counting the number of indistinguishable UTXOs in a set, typically after a coinjoin.
Anyprevout (apo)
A proposal (BIP118) adding new SigHash flags allowing the creation of signatures that do not cover any specific input of the transaction.
51% attack
An attack where a malicious actor controls more than half of the mining hash power, allowing them to manipulate transactions, notably by performing double spends.
Account
In an HD wallet, a derivation level (depth 3) allowing hierarchical organization of keys and addresses.
Activation method
The process by which the Bitcoin community decides to activate a soft fork, seeking consensus among miners and users to avoid a blockchain split.
Adaptor signature
A cryptographic technique linking a signature to a secret, such that publishing the signature reveals the secret. Useful for atomic swaps without a trusted intermediary.
Addr
An old Bitcoin network message that allowed communicating IP addresses of nodes accepting connections. Replaced by addrv2 (BIP155) to support longer address formats.
Addr.dat
An old file in Bitcoin Core that stored information about network peers. Replaced by peers.dat since version 0.7.0.
Address reuse
A discouraged practice of using the same Bitcoin address multiple times to receive payments, which harms privacy by allowing funds to be traced.
Address spoofing
An attack where a malicious actor creates an address closely resembling the victim's to deceive them and divert their payments.
Addrv2
A new network message format (BIP155) allowing the broadcasting of Bitcoin node addresses. Supports longer addresses such as Tor v3 or I2P.
Agorism
A libertarian political philosophy advocating economic action outside of state control (counter-economy) to progressively undermine state power.
Air cooling
A cooling system for mining machines using fans to dissipate heat. The most widespread and least expensive method.
Altcoin
Designates any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. A contraction of alternative and coin.
Aluvm
A virtual machine designed for deterministic execution of smart contracts, notably within the context of the RGB protocol on Bitcoin.
Analysis heuristic
An empirical method used to trace Bitcoin flows on the blockchain based on observable characteristics within transactions.
Ancestor mining
A principle whereby a miner selects transactions taking into account the fees of parent transactions, not only their own fees. Also called CPFP.
Anchor
In the RGB protocol, a set of data proving the inclusion of a commitment in a Bitcoin transaction, without publicly revealing its content.
Anchor outputs
A mechanism on Lightning allowing adjustment of the fees of a commitment transaction after its creation, to ensure quick channel closure.
Anchors.dat
A Bitcoin Core file storing IP addresses of nodes the client was connected to before shutdown, to facilitate reconnection on restart.
Anonsets (anonymity sets)
Indicators measuring the degree of privacy of a UTXO by counting the number of indistinguishable UTXOs in a set, typically after a coinjoin.
Anyprevout (apo)
A proposal (BIP118) adding new SigHash flags allowing the creation of signatures that do not cover any specific input of the transaction.