New serialization/encoding format for key material



Summary:

In an email to the bitcoin-dev mailing list, Jonas Schnelli discussed the presence of 520 bits in a BIP32 chain code with a compressed public key. According to Schnelli, the first 256 bits are the chain code and the remaining 264 bits define the public key. He also explained that in a 33 byte compressed public key, only one bit from the first byte is necessary to convey information, allowing for the other seven bits to be discarded. This reduction can result in a one-character decrease in the bech32 encoded result.


Updated on: 2023-06-13T02:57:28.776090+00:00