Published on: 2017-09-04T14:06:44+00:00
In a discussion on the bitcoin-dev mailing list, Gregory Maxwell highlighted various methods to reduce the number of bytes required for block headers. These techniques involve minimizing changes to the bits field, setting the timestamp to be slightly higher than the previous one, and recognizing that the block version is typically one of the last few. However, these improvements offer only a constant factor reduction in size.The compact SPV proofs, outlined in the appendix of the sidechains whitepaper, introduce logarithmic scaling proofs but solely validate total work, not validity. OpenTimestamps aims to establish a framework for trusted validity attestations, as timestamping via proof-of-work presents security concerns due to the potential manipulation of block times by miners. It is crucial to comprehend the associated risks before implementing compact SPV proofs. Additionally, there may be an opportunity to enhance initial download bandwidth by including a known-good sum-merkle-tree tip hash with the software.Riccardo Casatta expressed his belief in an email to bitcoin-dev that Bitcoin headers represent the most vital data globally, with an anticipated increase in demand. He proposed optimizing transmitted data when sending a continuous stream of block headers by eliminating the transmission of previous hashes after the first header. The receiver can calculate the previous hash by double hashing the previous header, which is necessary for verifying the proof of work. This approach could potentially save approximately 40% in bandwidth when transmitting a lengthy sequence of block headers.However, another participant in the discussion countered this suggestion by mentioning alternative ways to reduce bytes in the block headers field, such as avoiding changes to the bits field every 2016 blocks or only including the timestamp if it surpasses the median of the last 11 blocks. These optimizations also provide only a constant factor reduction in size. The contributor recommended exploring the compact SPV proofs described in the appendix of the sidechains whitepaper for logarithmic scaling proofs.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T21:31:35.396695+00:00