Author: Ross Nicoll 2015-08-10 19:19:36
Published on: 2015-08-10T19:19:36+00:00
In a discussion on the Bitcoin mailing list, Luke Dashjr proposed adding an optional "genesis" field to Bitcoin transactions that would contain the SHA-256 hash of the genesis block of the network the request belongs to. The purpose of this field is to identify chains without any need for a central registry. However, he was informed that genesis blocks are not necessarily unique, and the most recent block hash could be used instead, providing fork detection, although it could also advertise if a merchant is on the wrong fork. Dashjr also suggested that genesis hash collisions are probably acceptable, and the server should reject any attempt to pay on the wrong chain. In response to a comment that BIPs are only for improvements to Bitcoin specifically, Dashjr suggested that this proposal could address the need for payments made of bitcoins on a sidechain. This could be done by making the genesis field "repeated", specifying all potential networks, with the response indicating which hash it used, but providing fork detection.
Updated on: 2023-06-10T18:58:30.364419+00:00