[[c_authorization_authentication]] === Authorization and Authentication with Scripts and Witnesses FIXME [[tx_script]] [role="pagebreak-before less_space_h1"] === Transaction Scripts and Script Language ((("transactions", "scripts and Script language", id="Tsript06")))((("scripting", "transactions and", id="Stransact06")))The bitcoin transaction script language, called _Script_, is a Forth-like reverse-polish notation stack-based execution language. If that sounds like gibberish, you probably haven't studied 1960s programming languages, but that's ok—we will explain it all in this chapter. Both the locking script placed on an UTXO and the unlocking script are written in this scripting language. When a transaction is validated, the unlocking script in each input is executed alongside the corresponding locking script to see if it satisfies the spending condition. Script is a very simple language that was designed to be limited in scope and executable on a range of hardware, perhaps as simple as an embedded device. It requires minimal processing and cannot do many of the fancy things modern programming languages can do. For its use in validating programmable money, this is a deliberate security feature. ((("Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH)")))Today, most transactions processed through the Bitcoin network have the form "Payment to Bob's Bitcoin address" and are based on a script called a Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash script. However, bitcoin transactions are not limited to the "Payment to Bob's Bitcoin address" script. In fact, locking scripts can be written to express a vast variety of complex conditions. In order to understand these more complex scripts, we must first understand the basics of transaction scripts and script language. In this section, we will demonstrate the basic components of the bitcoin transaction scripting language and show how it can be used to express conditions for spending and how those conditions can be satisfied. [TIP] ==== ((("programmable money")))Bitcoin transaction validation is not based on a static pattern, but instead is achieved through the execution of a scripting language. This language allows for a nearly infinite variety of conditions to be expressed. This is how bitcoin gets the power of "programmable money." ==== ==== Turing Incompleteness ((("Turing incompleteness")))The bitcoin transaction script language contains many operators, but is deliberately limited in one important way--there are no loops or complex flow control capabilities other than conditional flow control. This ensures that the language is not _Turing Complete_, meaning that scripts have limited complexity and predictable execution times. Script is not a general-purpose language. ((("denial-of-service attacks")))((("denial-of-service attacks", see="also security")))((("security", "denial-of-service attacks")))These limitations ensure that the language cannot be used to create an infinite loop or other form of "logic bomb" that could be embedded in a transaction in a way that causes a denial-of-service attack against the Bitcoin network. Remember, every transaction is validated by every full node on the Bitcoin network. A limited language prevents the transaction validation mechanism from being used as a vulnerability. ==== Stateless Verification ((("stateless verification")))The bitcoin transaction script language is stateless, in that there is no state prior to execution of the script, or state saved after execution of the script. All the information needed to execute a script is contained within the script and the transaction executing the script. A script will predictably execute the same way on any system. If your system verifies a script, you can be sure that every other system in the Bitcoin network will also verify the script, meaning that a valid transaction is valid for everyone and everyone knows this. This predictability of outcomes is an essential benefit of the Bitcoin system. [[tx_lock_unlock]] ==== Script Construction Bitcoin's legacy transaction validation engine relies on two types of scripts to validate transactions: a scriptPubKey and a scriptSig. A scriptPubKey is a spending condition placed on an output: it specifies the conditions that must be met to spend the output in the future, such as who is authorized to spend the output and how they will be authenticated. A scriptSig is a script that satisfies the conditions placed on an output by a scriptPubKey and allows the output to be spent. ScriptSigs are part of every transaction input. Most of the time they contain a digital signature produced by the user's wallet from his or her private key, but not all scriptSigs must contain signatures. Every bitcoin validating node will validate transactions by executing the scriptPubKey and scriptSig together. As we saw in <>, each input contains an outpoint which refers to a previous transaction output. The input also contains a scriptSig. The validation software will copy the scriptSig, retrieve the UTXO referenced by the input, and copy the scriptPubKey from that UTXO. The scriptSig and scriptPubKey are then executed in sequence. The input is valid if the scriptSig satisfies the scriptPubUey conditions (see <>). All the inputs are validated independently, as part of the overall validation of the transaction. Note that the UTXO is permanently recorded in the blockchain, and therefore is invariable and is unaffected by failed attempts to spend it by reference in a new transaction. Only a valid transaction that correctly satisfies the conditions of the output results in the output being considered as "spent" and removed from the set of unspent transaction outputs (UTXO set). <> is an example of the scriptPubKey and scriptSig for the most common type of legacy Bitcoin transaction (a payment to a public key hash), showing the combined script resulting from the concatenation of the scripts prior to validation. [[scriptSig_and_scriptPubKey]] .Combining scriptSig and scriptPubKey to evaluate a transaction script image::../images/mbc2_0603.png["scriptSig_and_scriptPubKey"] ===== The script execution stack Bitcoin's scripting language is called a stack-based language because it uses a data structure called a _stack_. A stack is a very simple data structure that can be visualized as a stack of cards. A stack allows two operations: push and pop. Push adds an item on top of the stack. Pop removes the top item from the stack. Operations on a stack can only act on the topmost item on the stack. A stack data structure is also called a Last-In-First-Out, or "LIFO" queue. The scripting language executes the script by processing each item from left to right. Numbers (data constants) are pushed onto the stack. Operators push or pop one or more parameters from the stack, act on them, and might push a result onto the stack. For example, +OP_ADD+ will pop two items from the stack, add them, and push the resulting sum onto the stack. Conditional operators evaluate a condition, producing a boolean result of TRUE or FALSE. For example, +OP_EQUAL+ pops two items from the stack and pushes TRUE (TRUE is represented by the number 1) if they are equal or FALSE (represented by zero) if they are not equal. Bitcoin transaction scripts usually contain a conditional operator, so that they can produce the TRUE result that signifies a valid transaction. ===== A simple script Now let's apply what we've learned about scripts and stacks to some simple examples. In <>, the script +2 3 OP_ADD 5 OP_EQUAL+ demonstrates the arithmetic addition operator +OP_ADD+, adding two numbers and putting the result on the stack, followed by the conditional operator +OP_EQUAL+, which checks that the resulting sum is equal to +5+. For brevity, the +OP_+ prefix is omitted in the step-by-step example. For more details on the available script operators and functions, see <>. Although most legacy scriptPubKeys refer to a public key hash (essentially, a legacy Bitcoin address), thereby requiring proof of ownership to spend the funds, the script does not have to be that complex. Any combination of scriptPubKey and scriptSig that results in a TRUE value is valid. The simple arithmetic we used as an example of the scripting language is also a valid script. Use part of the arithmetic example script as the scriptPubKey: ---- 3 OP_ADD 5 OP_EQUAL ---- which can be satisfied by a transaction containing an input with the scriptSig: ---- 2 ---- The validation software combines the scripts: ---- 2 3 OP_ADD 5 OP_EQUAL ---- As we saw in the step-by-step example in <>, when this script is executed, the result is +OP_TRUE+, making the transaction valid. Not only have we shown a valid transaction output scriptPubKey, but the resulting UTXO could be spent by anyone with the arithmetic skills to know that the number 2 satisfies the script. [TIP] ==== ((("transactions", "valid and invalid")))Transactions are valid if the top result on the stack is +TRUE+ (noted as ++{0x01}++), any other nonzero value, or if the stack is empty after script execution. Transactions are invalid if the top value on the stack is +FALSE+ (a zero-length empty value, noted as ++{}++) or if script execution is halted explicitly by an operator, such as +OP_VERIFY+, +OP_RETURN+, or a conditional terminator such as +OP_ENDIF+. See <> for details. ==== [[simplemath_script]] .Bitcoin's script validation doing simple math image::../images/mbc2_0604.png["TxScriptSimpleMathExample"] [role="pagebreak-before"] The following is a slightly more complex script, which calculates ++2 + 7 -- 3 + 1++. Notice that when the script contains several operators in a row, the stack allows the results of one operator to be acted upon by the next operator: ---- 2 7 OP_ADD 3 OP_SUB 1 OP_ADD 7 OP_EQUAL ---- Try validating the preceding script yourself using pencil and paper. When the script execution ends, you should be left with the value +TRUE+ on the stack. [[script_exec]] ===== Separate execution of scriptPubKey and scriptSig In the original Bitcoin client, scriptPubKey and scriptSig were concatenated and executed in sequence. For security reasons, this was changed in 2010 because of a vulnerability known as the +1 OP_RETURN+ bug. In the current implementation, the scripts are executed separately with the stack transferred between the two executions, as described next. First, the scriptSig executed using the stack execution engine. If the scriptSig is executed without errors and has no operations left over, the stack is copied and the scriptPubKey is executed. If the result of executing scriptPubKey with the stack data copied from scriptSig is "TRUE," the scriptSig has succeeded in resolving the conditions imposed by the scriptPubKey and, therefore, the input is a valid authorization to spend the UTXO. If any result other than "TRUE" remains after execution of the combined script, the input is invalid because it has failed to satisfy the spending conditions placed on the UTXO. [[p2pkh]] ==== Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH) ((("Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH)"))) A Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash or "P2PKH" script uses a scriptPubKey that contains a hash which commits to a public key. P2PKH is best known as a the basis for a legacy Bitcoin address. An P2PKH output can be spent by presenting a public key which matches the hash commitment and a digital signature created by the corresponding private key (see <>). Let's look at an example of a P2PKH scriptPubKey: ---- OP_DUP OP_HASH160 OP_EQUALVERIFY OP_CHECKSIG ---- The +Cafe Public Key Hash+ is equivalent to the Bitcoin address of the cafe, without the Base58Check encoding. Most applications would show the _public key hash_ in hexadecimal encoding and not the familiar Bitcoin address Base58Check format that begins with a "1." The preceding scriptPubKey can be satisfied with a scriptSig of the form: ---- ---- The two scripts together would form the following combined validation script: ---- OP_DUP OP_HASH160 OP_EQUALVERIFY OP_CHECKSIG ---- When executed, this combined script will evaluate to TRUE if, and only if, the scriptSig matches the conditions set by the scriptPubKey. In other words, the result will be TRUE if the scriptSig has a valid signature from Bob's private key that corresponds to the public key hash set as an encumbrance. Figures pass:[#P2PubKHash1] and pass:[#P2PubKHash2] show (in two parts) a step-by-step execution of the combined script, which will prove this is a valid transaction.((("", startref="Tsript06")))((("", startref="Stransact06"))) [[P2PubKHash1]] .Evaluating a script for a P2PKH transaction (part 1 of 2) image::../images/mbc2_0605.png["Tx_Script_P2PubKeyHash_1"] [[P2PubKHash2]] .Evaluating a script for a P2PKH transaction (part 2 of 2) [[ch07_intro]] === Introduction In the previous chapter, we introduced the basic elements of bitcoin transactions and looked at the most common type of transaction script, the P2PKH script. In this chapter we will look at more advanced scripting and how we can use it to build transactions with complex conditions. First, we will look at _multisignature_ scripts. Next, we will examine the second most common transaction script, _Pay-to-Script-Hash_, which opens up a whole world of complex scripts. Then, we will examine new script operators that add a time dimension to bitcoin, through _timelocks_. Finally, we will look at _Segregated Witness_, an architectural change to the structure of transactions. image::../images/mbc2_0606.png["Tx_Script_P2PubKeyHash_2"] [[multisig]] === Multisignature ((("transactions", "advanced", "multisignature scripts")))((("transactions", "advanced", id="Tadv07")))((("scripting", "multisignature scripts", id="Smulti07")))((("multisignature scripts")))Multisignature scripts set a condition where N public keys are recorded in the script and at least M of those must provide signatures to spend the funds. This is also known as an M-of-N scheme, where N is the total number of keys and M is the threshold of signatures required for validation. For example, a 2-of-3 multisignature is one where three public keys are listed as potential signers and at least two of those must be used to create signatures for a valid transaction to spend the funds. At this time, _standard_ multisignature scripts are limited to at most 3 listed public keys, meaning you can do anything from a 1-of-1 to a 3-of-3 multisignature or any combination within that range. The limitation to 3 listed keys might be lifted by the time this book is published, so check the +IsStandard()+ function to see what is currently accepted by the network. Note that the limit of 3 keys applies only to standard (also known as "bare") multisignature scripts, not to multisignature scripts wrapped in a Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) script. P2SH multisignature scripts are limited to 15 keys, allowing for up to 15-of-15 multisignature. We will learn about P2SH in <>. The general form of a scriptPubKey setting an M-of-N multisignature condition is: ---- M ... N CHECKMULTISIG ---- where N is the total number of listed public keys and M is the threshold of required signatures to spend the output. A scriptPubKey setting a 2-of-3 multisignature condition looks like this: ---- 2 3 CHECKMULTISIG ---- The preceding scriptPubKey can be satisfied with a scriptSig containing pairs of signatures and public keys: ---- ---- or any combination of two signatures from the private keys corresponding to the three listed public keys. The two scripts together would form the combined validation script: ---- 2 3 CHECKMULTISIG ---- When executed, this combined script will evaluate to TRUE if, and only if, the scriptSig script matches the conditions set by the scriptPubKey. In this case, the condition is whether the scriptSig has a valid signature from the two private keys that correspond to two of the three public keys set as an encumbrance. [[multisig_bug]] ===== A bug in CHECKMULTISIG execution ((("scripting", "multisignature scripts", "CHECKMULTISIG bug")))((("CHECKMULTISIG bug workaround")))There is a bug in ++CHECKMULTISIG++'s execution that requires a slight workaround. When +CHECKMULTISIG+ executes, it should consume M+N+2 items on the stack as parameters. However, due to the bug, +CHECKMULTISIG+ will pop an extra value or one value more than expected. Let's look at this in greater detail using the previous validation example: ---- 2 3 CHECKMULTISIG ---- First, +CHECKMULTISIG+ pops the top item, which is +N+ (in this example "3"). Then it pops +N+ items, which are the public keys that can sign. In this example, public keys A, B, and C. Then, it pops one item, which is +M+, the quorum (how many signatures are needed). Here M = 2. At this point, +CHECKMULTISIG+ should pop the final +M+ items, which are the signatures, and see if they are valid. However, unfortunately, a bug in the implementation causes +CHECKMULTISIG+ to pop one more item (M+1 total) than it should. The extra item is disregarded when checking the signatures so it has no direct effect on +CHECKMULTISIG+ itself. However, an extra value must be present because if it is not present, when +CHECKMULTISIG+ attempts to pop on an empty stack, it will cause a stack error and script failure (marking the transaction as invalid). Because the extra item is disregarded it can be anything, but customarily +0+ is used. Because this bug became part of the consensus rules, it must now be replicated forever. Therefore the correct script validation would look like this: ---- 0 2 3 CHECKMULTISIG ---- Thus the scriptSig actually used in multisig is not: ---- ---- but instead it is: ---- 0 ---- From now on, if you see a multisig script, you should expect to see an extra +0+ in the beginning, whose only purpose is as a workaround to a bug that accidentally became a consensus rule.((("", startref="Smulti07"))) [[p2sh]] === Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) ((("transactions", "advanced", "Pay-to-Script-Hash")))((("scripting", "Pay-to-Script-Hash", id="Spay07")))Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) was introduced in 2012 as a powerful new type of transaction that greatly simplifies the use of complex transaction scripts. To explain the need for P2SH, let's look at a practical example. ((("use cases", "import/export", id="mohamseven")))((("scripting", "Pay-to-Script-Hash", "import/export example")))((("Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH)", "import/export example")))In <> we introduced Mohammed, an electronics importer based in Dubai. Mohammed's company uses bitcoin's multisignature feature extensively for its corporate accounts. Multisignature scripts are one of the most common uses of bitcoin's advanced scripting capabilities and are a very powerful feature. ((("accounts receivable (AR)")))Mohammed's company uses a multisignature script for all customer payments, known in accounting terms as "accounts receivable," or AR. With the multisignature scheme, any payments made by customers are locked in such a way that they require at least two signatures to release, from Mohammed and one of his partners or from his attorney who has a backup key. A multisignature scheme like that offers corporate governance controls and protects against theft, embezzlement, or loss. The resulting script is quite long and looks like this: ---- 2 5 CHECKMULTISIG ---- Although multisignature scripts are a powerful feature, they are cumbersome to use. Given the preceding script, Mohammed would have to communicate this script to every customer prior to payment. Each customer would have to use special bitcoin wallet software with the ability to create custom transaction scripts, and each customer would have to understand how to create a transaction using custom scripts. Furthermore, the resulting transaction would be about five times larger than a simple payment transaction, because this script contains very long public keys. The burden of that extra data would be borne by the customer in the form of extra transaction fees. Finally, a large transaction script like this would be carried in the UTXO set in every full node, until it was spent. All of these issues make using complex scriptPubKeys difficult in practice. P2SH was developed to resolve these practical difficulties and to make the use of complex scripts as easy as a payment to a Bitcoin address. With P2SH payments, the complex script is replaced with a commitment, the digest of a cryptographic hash. When a transaction attempting to spend the UTXO is presented later, it must contain the script that matches the commitment in addition to the data which satisifies the script. In simple terms, P2SH means "pay to a script matching this hash, a script that will be presented later when this output is spent." ((("redeemScripts")))((("scripting", "redeemScripts")))In P2SH transactions, the script that is replaced by a hash is referred to as the _redeemScript_ because it is presented to the system at redemption time rather than as a scriptPubKey. <> shows the script without P2SH and <> shows the same script encoded with P2SH. [[without_p2sh]] .Complex script without P2SH |======= | ScriptPubKey | 2 PubKey1 PubKey2 PubKey3 PubKey4 PubKey5 5 CHECKMULTISIG | ScriptSig | Sig1 Sig2 |======= [[with_p2sh]] .Complex script as P2SH |======= | RedeemScript | 2 PubKey1 PubKey2 PubKey3 PubKey4 PubKey5 5 CHECKMULTISIG | ScriptPubKey | HASH160 <20-byte hash of redeemScript> EQUAL | ScriptSig | Sig1 Sig2 |======= As you can see from the tables, with P2SH the complex script that details the conditions for spending the output (redeemScript) is not presented in the scriptPubKey. Instead, only a hash of it is in the scriptPubKey and the reedemScript itself is presented later, as part of the scriptSig when the output is spent. This shifts the burden in fees and complexity from the sender to the recipient (spender) of the transaction. Let's look at Mohammed's company, the complex multisignature script, and the resulting P2SH scripts. First, the multisignature script that Mohammed's company uses for all incoming payments from customers: ---- 2 5 CHECKMULTISIG ---- If the placeholders are replaced by actual public keys (shown here as 520-bit numbers starting with 04) you can see that this script becomes very long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his entire script can instead be represented by a 20-byte cryptographic hash, by first applying the SHA256 hashing algorithm and then applying the RIPEMD160 algorithm on the result. We use +libbitcoin-explorer+ (+bx+) on the command-line to produce the script hash, as follows: ---- echo \ 2 \ [04C16B8698A9ABF84250A7C3EA7EEDEF9897D1C8C6ADF47F06CF73370D74DCCA01CDCA79DCC5C395D7EEC6984D83F1F50C900A24DD47F569FD4193AF5DE762C587] \ [04A2192968D8655D6A935BEAF2CA23E3FB87A3495E7AF308EDF08DAC3C1FCBFC2C75B4B0F4D0B1B70CD2423657738C0C2B1D5CE65C97D78D0E34224858008E8B49] \ [047E63248B75DB7379BE9CDA8CE5751D16485F431E46117B9D0C1837C9D5737812F393DA7D4420D7E1A9162F0279CFC10F1E8E8F3020DECDBC3C0DD389D9977965] \ [0421D65CBD7149B255382ED7F78E946580657EE6FDA162A187543A9D85BAAA93A4AB3A8F044DADA618D087227440645ABE8A35DA8C5B73997AD343BE5C2AFD94A5] \ [043752580AFA1ECED3C68D446BCAB69AC0BA7DF50D56231BE0AABF1FDEEC78A6A45E394BA29A1EDF518C022DD618DA774D207D137AAB59E0B000EB7ED238F4D800] \ 5 CHECKMULTISIG \ | bx script-encode | bx sha256 | bx ripemd160 54c557e07dde5bb6cb791c7a540e0a4796f5e97e ---- The series of commands above first encodes Mohammed's multisig redeemScript as a serialized hex-encoded bitcoin Script. The next +bx+ command calculates the SHA256 hash of that. The next +bx+ command hashes again with RIPEMD160, producing the final script-hash: The 20-byte hash of Mohammed's redeemScript is: ---- 54c557e07dde5bb6cb791c7a540e0a4796f5e97e ---- A P2SH transaction locks the output to this hash instead of the longer redeemScript, using a special scriptPubKey template: ---- HASH160 54c557e07dde5bb6cb791c7a540e0a4796f5e97e EQUAL ---- which, as you can see, is much shorter. Instead of "pay to this 5-key multisignature script," the P2SH equivalent transaction is "pay to a script with this hash." A customer making a payment to Mohammed's company need only include this much shorter scriptPubKey in his payment. When Mohammed and his partners want to spend this UTXO, they must present the original redeemScript (the one whose hash locked the UTXO) and the signatures necessary to unlock it, like this: ---- <2 PK1 PK2 PK3 PK4 PK5 5 CHECKMULTISIG> ---- The two scripts are combined in two stages. First, the redeemScript is checked against the scriptPubKey to make sure the hash matches: ---- <2 PK1 PK2 PK3 PK4 PK5 5 CHECKMULTISIG> HASH160 EQUAL ---- If the redeemScript hash matches, the redeemScript is executed: ---- 2 PK1 PK2 PK3 PK4 PK5 5 CHECKMULTISIG ---- ==== P2SH Addresses ((("scripting", "Pay-to-Script-Hash", "addresses")))((("Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH)", "addresses")))((("bitcoin improvement proposals", "Address Format for P2SH (BIP13)")))Another important part of the P2SH feature is the ability to encode a script hash as an address, as defined in BIP13. P2SH addresses are Base58Check encodings of the 20-byte hash of a script, just like Bitcoin addresses are Base58Check encodings of the 20-byte hash of a public key. P2SH addresses use the version prefix "5," which results in Base58Check-encoded addresses that start with a "3." For example, Mohammed's complex script, hashed and Base58Check-encoded as a P2SH address, becomes +39RF6JqABiHdYHkfChV6USGMe6Nsr66Gzw+. We can confirm that with the +bx+ command: ---- echo \ '54c557e07dde5bb6cb791c7a540e0a4796f5e97e'\ | bx address-encode -v 5 39RF6JqABiHdYHkfChV6USGMe6Nsr66Gzw ---- Now, Mohammed can give this "address" to his customers and they can use almost any bitcoin wallet to make a simple payment, as if it were a Bitcoin address. The 3 prefix gives them a hint that this is a special type of address, one corresponding to a script instead of a public key, but otherwise it works in exactly the same way as a payment to a Bitcoin address. P2SH addresses hide all of the complexity, so that the person making a payment does not see the script. ==== Benefits of P2SH ((("scripting", "Pay-to-Script-Hash", "benefits of")))((("Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH)", "benefits of")))The P2SH feature offers the following benefits compared to the direct use of complex scripts in outputs: - Complex scripts are replaced by shorter fingerprints in the transaction output, making the transaction smaller. - Scripts can be coded as an address, so the sender and the sender's wallet don't need complex engineering to implement P2SH. - P2SH shifts the burden of constructing the script to the recipient, not the sender. - P2SH shifts the burden in data storage for the long script from the output (which additionally to being stored on the blockchain is in the UTXO set) to the input (only stored on the blockchain). - P2SH shifts the burden in data storage for the long script from the present time (payment) to a future time (when it is spent). - P2SH shifts the transaction fee cost of a long script from the sender to the recipient, who has to include the long redeemScript to spend it. ==== RedeemScript and Validation You are not able to put a P2SH inside a P2SH redeemScript, because the P2SH specification is not recursive. Also, while it is technically possible to include +RETURN+ (see <>) in a redeem script, as nothing in the rules prevents you from doing so, it is of no practical use because executing +RETURN+ during validation will cause the transaction to be marked invalid. Note that because the redeemScript is not presented to the network until you attempt to spend a P2SH output, if you create an output with the hash of an invalid redeemScript, you will not be able to spend it. The spending transaction, which includes the redeemScript, will not be accepted because it is an invalid script. This creates a risk, because you can send bitcoin to a P2SH address that cannot be spent later. [WARNING] ==== ((("warnings and cautions", "accidental bitcoin invalidation")))P2SH scriptPubKeys contain the hash of a redeemScript, which gives no clues as to the content of the redeemScript. The P2SH transaction will be considered valid and accepted even if the redeemScript is invalid. You might accidentally receive bitcoin in such a way that it cannot later be spent. ==== [[op_return]] === Data Recording Output (RETURN) ((("transactions", "advanced", "data recording output")))((("scripting", "data recording output")))((("RETURN operator")))((("data recording (nonpayment data)")))((("nonpayment data")))((("blockchain (the)", "nonpayment data recording")))((("digital notary services")))Bitcoin's distributed and timestamped ledger, the blockchain, has potential uses far beyond payments. Many developers have tried to use the transaction scripting language to take advantage of the security and resilience of the system for applications such as digital notary services, stock certificates, and smart contracts. Early attempts to use bitcoin's script language for these purposes involved creating transaction outputs that recorded data on the blockchain; for example, to record a digital fingerprint of a file in such a way that anyone could establish proof-of-existence of that file on a specific date by reference to that transaction. ((("blockchain bloat")))((("bloat")))((("unspent transaction outputs (UTXO)")))((("UTXO sets")))The use of bitcoin's blockchain to store data unrelated to bitcoin payments is a controversial subject. Many developers consider such use abusive and want to discourage it. Others view it as a demonstration of the powerful capabilities of blockchain technology and want to encourage such experimentation. Those who object to the inclusion of nonpayment data argue that it causes "blockchain bloat," burdening those running full Bitcoin nodes with carrying the cost of disk storage for data that the blockchain was not intended to carry. Moreover, such transactions create UTXO that cannot be spent, using the destination Bitcoin address as a freeform 20-byte field. Because the address is used for data, it doesn't correspond to a private key and the resulting UTXO can _never_ be spent; it's a fake payment. These transactions that can never be spent are therefore never removed from the UTXO set and cause the size of the UTXO database to forever increase, or "bloat." In version 0.9 of the Bitcoin Core client, a compromise was reached with the introduction of the +RETURN+ operator. +RETURN+ allows developers to add 80 bytes of nonpayment data to a transaction output. However, unlike the use of "fake" UTXO, the +RETURN+ operator creates an explicitly _provably unspendable_ output, which does not need to be stored in the UTXO set. +RETURN+ outputs are recorded on the blockchain, so they consume disk space and contribute to the increase in the blockchain's size, but they are not stored in the UTXO set and therefore do not bloat the UTXO memory pool and burden full nodes with the cost of more expensive database operations. +RETURN+ scripts look like this: ---- RETURN ---- ((("Proof of Existence")))((("DOCPROOF prefix")))The data portion is limited to 80 bytes and most often represents a hash, such as the output from the SHA256 algorithm (32 bytes). Many applications put a prefix in front of the data to help identify the application. For example, the http://proofofexistence.com[Proof of Existence] digital notarization service uses the 8-byte prefix +DOCPROOF+, which is ASCII encoded as +44 4f 43 50 52 4f 4f 46+ in hexadecimal. Keep in mind that there is no scriptSig that corresponds to +OP_RETURN+ that could possibly be used to "spend" an +OP_RETURN+ output. The whole point of an +OP_RETURN+ output is that you can't spend the money locked in that output, and therefore it does not need to be held in the UTXO set as potentially spendable—+RETURN+ is _provably unspendable_. +RETURN+ is usually an output with a zero bitcoin amount, because any bitcoin assigned to such an output is effectively lost forever. If a +RETURN+ is referenced as an input in a transaction, the script validation engine will halt the execution of the validation script and mark the transaction as invalid. The execution of +RETURN+ essentially causes the script to "RETURN" with a +FALSE+ and halt. Thus, if you accidentally reference a +RETURN+ output as an input in a transaction, that transaction is invalid. A standard transaction (one that conforms to the +IsStandard()+ checks) can have only one +RETURN+ output. However, a single +RETURN+ output can be combined in a transaction with outputs of any other type. Two new command-line options have been added in Bitcoin Core as of version 0.10. The option +datacarrier+ controls relay and mining of +RETURN+ transactions, with the default set to "1" to allow them. The option +datacarriersize+ takes a numeric argument specifying the maximum size in bytes of the +RETURN+ script, 83 bytes by default, which, allows for a maximum of 80 bytes of +RETURN+ data plus one byte of +RETURN+ opcode and two bytes of +PUSHDATA+ opcode. [NOTE] ==== +RETURN+ was initially proposed with a limit of 80 bytes, but the limit was reduced to 40 bytes when the feature was released. In February 2015, in version 0.10 of Bitcoin Core, the limit was raised back to 80 bytes. Nodes may choose not to relay or mine +RETURN+, or only relay and mine +RETURN+ containing less than 80 bytes of data. ==== [[locktime_limitations]] ===== Transaction locktime limitations +nLockTime+ has the limitation that while it makes it possible to spend some outputs in the future, it does not make it impossible to spend them until that time. Let's explain that with the following example. ((("use cases", "buying coffee", id="alicesseven")))Alice signs a transaction spending one of her outputs to Bob's address, and sets the transaction +nLockTime+ to 3 months in the future. Alice sends that transaction to Bob to hold. With this transaction Alice and Bob know that: * Bob cannot transmit the transaction to redeem the funds until 3 months have elapsed. * Bob may transmit the transaction after 3 months. However: * Alice can create another transaction, double-spending the same inputs without a locktime. Thus, Alice can spend the same UTXO before the 3 months have elapsed. * Bob has no guarantee that Alice won't do that. It is important to understand the limitations of transaction +nLockTime+. The only guarantee is that Bob will not be able to redeem it before 3 months have elapsed. There is no guarantee that Bob will get the funds. To achieve such a guarantee, the timelock restriction must be placed on the UTXO itself and be part of the script, rather than on the transaction. This is achieved by the next form of timelock, called Check Lock Time Verify. ==== Check Lock Time Verify (CLTV) ((("Check Lock Time Verify (CLTV)", id="cltv07")))((("timelocks", "Check Lock Time Verify (CLTV)")))((("scripting", "timelocks", "Check Lock Time Verify (CLTV)")))((("bitcoin improvement proposals", "CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY (BIP-65)")))In December 2015, a new form of timelock was introduced to Bitcoin as a soft fork upgrade. Based on a _CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY_ (_CLTV_) was added to the scripting language. +CLTV+ is a per-output timelock, rather than a per-transaction timelock as is the case with +nLocktime+. This allows for much greater specification in BIP65, a new script operator called flexibility in the way timelocks are applied. In simple terms, by adding the +CLTV+ opcode in the redeemScript of an output it restricts the output, so that it can only be spent after the specified time has elapsed. [TIP] ==== While +nLocktime+ is a transaction-level timelock, +CLTV+ is an output-based timelock. ==== +CLTV+ doesn't replace +nLocktime+, but rather restricts specific UTXO such that they can only be spent in a future transaction with +nLockTime+ set to a greater or equal value. The +CLTV+ opcode takes one parameter as input, expressed as a number in the same format as +nLocktime+ (either a block height or Unix epoch time). As indicated by the +VERIFY+ suffix, +CLTV+ is the type of opcode that halts execution of the script if the outcome is +FALSE+. If it results in TRUE, execution continues. In order to use +OP_CLTV+, you insert it into the redeemScript of the output in the transaction that creates the output. For example, if Alice is paying Bob's address, the output would normally contain a P2PKH script like this: ---- DUP HASH160 EQUALVERIFY CHECKSIG ---- To lock it to a time, say 3 months from now, the transaction would be a P2SH transaction with a redeemScript like this: ---- CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY DROP DUP HASH160 EQUALVERIFY CHECKSIG ---- where ++ is a block height or time value estimated 3 months from the time the transaction is mined: current block height {plus} 12,960 (blocks) or current Unix epoch time {plus} 7,760,000 (seconds). For now, don't worry about the +DROP+ opcode that follows +CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY+; it will be explained shortly. When Bob tries to spend this UTXO, he constructs a transaction that references the UTXO as an input. He uses his signature and public key in the scriptSig of that input and sets the transaction +nLockTime+ to be equal or greater to the timelock in the +OP_CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY+ Alice set. Bob then broadcasts the transaction on the Bitcoin network. Bob's transaction is evaluated as follows. If the +CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY+ parameter Alice set is less than or equal the spending transaction's +nLocktime+, script execution continues (acts as if a “no operation” or NOP opcode was executed). Otherwise, script execution halts and the transaction is deemed invalid. More precisely, +CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY+ fails and halts execution, marking the transaction invalid if (source: BIP65): 1. the stack is empty; or 1. the top item on the stack is less than 0; or 1. the lock-time type (height versus timestamp) of the top stack item and the +nLockTime+ field are not the same; or 1. the top stack item is greater than the transaction's +nLockTime+ field; or 1. the +nSequence+ field of the input is 0xffffffff. [NOTE] ==== +CLTV+ and +nLocktime+ use the same format to describe timelocks, either a block height or the time elapsed in seconds since Unix epoch. Critically, when used together, the format of +nLocktime+ must match that of +CLTV+ in the outputs—they must both reference either block height or time in seconds. ==== After execution, if +CLTV+ is satisfied, the time parameter that preceded it remains as the top item on the stack and may need to be dropped, with +DROP+, for correct execution of subsequent script opcodes. You will often see +CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY+ followed by +DROP+ in scripts for this reason. By using nLocktime in conjunction with +CLTV+, the scenario described in <> changes. Alice can no longer spend the money (because it's locked with Bob's key) and Bob cannot spend it before the 3-month locktime has expired.((("", startref="alicesseven"))) By introducing timelock functionality directly into the scripting language, +CLTV+ allows us to develop some very interesting complex scripts.((("", startref="cltv07"))) The standard is defined in https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0065.mediawiki[BIP65 (OP_CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY)]. ==== Relative Timelocks +nLocktime+ and +CLTV+ are ((("timelocks", "relative timelocks", id="Trelative07")))((("scripting", "timelocks", "relative timelocks")))((("relative timelocks", id="relativetime07")))both _absolute timelocks_ in that they specify an absolute point in time. The next two timelock features we will examine are _relative timelocks_ in that they specify, as a condition of spending an output, an elapsed time from the confirmation of the output in the blockchain. Relative timelocks are useful because they allow a chain of two or more interdependent transactions to be held off chain, while imposing a time constraint on one transaction that is dependent on the elapsed time from the confirmation of a previous transaction. In other words, the clock doesn't start counting until the UTXO is recorded on the blockchain. This functionality is especially useful in bidirectional state channels and Lightning Networks, as we will see in <>. Relative timelocks, like absolute timelocks, are implemented with both a transaction-level feature and a script-level opcode. The transaction-level relative timelock is implemented as a consensus rule on the value of +nSequence+, a transaction field that is set in every transaction input. Script-level relative timelocks are implemented with the +CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY+ (CSV) opcode. ((("bitcoin improvement proposals", "Relative lock-time using consensus-enforced sequence numbers (BIP68)")))((("bitcoin improvement proposals", "CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY (BIP112)")))Relative timelocks are implemented according to the specifications in https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0068.mediawiki[BIP68, Relative lock-time using consensus-enforced sequence numbers] and https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0112.mediawiki[BIP112, OP_CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY]. BIP68 and BIP112 were activated in May 2016 as a soft fork upgrade to the consensus rules. ==== Relative Timelocks with CSV ((("scripting", "timelocks", "relative timelocks with CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY")))((("CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY (CSV)")))Just like CLTV and +nLocktime+, there is a script opcode for relative timelocks that leverages the +nSequence+ value in scripts. That opcode is +CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY+, commonly referred to as +CSV+ for short. The +CSV+ opcode when evaluated in an UTXO's redeem script allows spending only in a transaction whose input +nSequence+ value is greater than or equal to the +CSV+ parameter. Essentially, this restricts spending the UTXO until a certain number of blocks or seconds have elapsed relative to the time the UTXO was mined. As with CLTV, the value in +CSV+ must match the format in the corresponding +nSequence+ value. If +CSV+ is specified in terms of blocks, then so must +nSequence+. If +CSV+ is specified in terms of seconds, then so must +nSequence+. Relative timelocks with +CSV+ are especially useful when several (chained) transactions are created and signed, but not propagated, when they're kept "off-chain." A child transaction cannot be used until the parent transaction has been propagated, mined, and aged by the time specified in the relative timelock. One application of this use case can be seen in <> and <>.((("", startref="relativetime07")))((("", startref="Trelative07"))) +OP_CSV+ is defined in detail in https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0112.mediawiki[BIP112, CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY]. === Scripts with Flow Control (Conditional Clauses) ((("transactions", "advanced", "flow control scripts")))((("scripting", "flow control scripts", id="Sflow07")))((("conditional clauses", id="condition07")))((("flow control", id="flow07")))One of the more powerful features of Bitcoin Script is flow control, also known as conditional clauses. You are probably familiar with flow control in various programming languages that use the construct +IF...THEN...ELSE+. Bitcoin conditional clauses look a bit different, but are essentially the same construct. At a basic level, bitcoin conditional opcodes allow us to construct a script that has two ways of being unlocked, depending on a +TRUE+/+FALSE+ outcome of evaluating a logical condition. For example, if x is +TRUE+, the redeemScript is A and the ELSE redeemScript is B. Additionally, bitcoin conditional expressions can be "nested" indefinitely, meaning that a conditional clause can contain another within it, which contains another, etc. Bitcoin Script flow control can be used to construct very complex scripts with hundreds or even thousands of possible execution paths. There is no limit to nesting, but consensus rules impose a limit on the maximum size, in bytes, of a script. Bitcoin implements flow control using the +IF+, +ELSE+, +ENDIF+, and +NOTIF+ opcodes. Additionally, conditional expressions can contain boolean operators such as +BOOLAND+, pass:[BOOLOR], and +NOT+. At first glance, you may find the bitcoin's flow control scripts confusing. That is because Bitcoin Script is a stack language. The same way that +1 {plus} 1+ looks "backward" when expressed as +1 1 ADD+, flow control clauses in bitcoin also look "backward." In most traditional (procedural) programming languages, flow control looks like this: .Pseudocode of flow control in most programming languages ---- if (condition): code to run when condition is true else: code to run when condition is false code to run in either case ---- In a stack-based language like Bitcoin Script, the logical condition comes before the +IF+, which makes it look "backward," like this: .Bitcoin Script flow control ---- condition IF code to run when condition is true ELSE code to run when condition is false ENDIF code to run in either case ---- When reading Bitcoin Script, remember that the condition being evaluated comes _before_ the +IF+ opcode. ==== Conditional Clauses with VERIFY Opcodes ((("VERIFY opcodes")))((("IF clauses")))((("opcodes", "VERIFY")))Another form of conditional in Bitcoin Script is any opcode that ends in +VERIFY+. The +VERIFY+ suffix means that if the condition evaluated is not +TRUE+, execution of the script terminates immediately and the transaction is deemed invalid. ((("guard clauses")))Unlike an +IF+ clause, which offers alternative execution paths, the +VERIFY+ suffix acts as a _guard clause_, continuing only if a precondition is met. For example, the following script requires Bob's signature and a pre-image (secret) that produces a specific hash. Both conditions must be satisfied to unlock: .A redeem script with an +EQUALVERIFY+ guard clause. ---- HASH160 EQUALVERIFY CHECKSIG ---- To spend this, Bob must present a valid pre-image and a signature: .Satisfying the above script ---- ---- Without presenting the pre-image, Bob can't get to the part of the script that checks for his signature. [role="pagebreak-after"] This script can be written with an +IF+ instead: .A redeem script with an +IF+ guard clause ---- HASH160 EQUAL IF CHECKSIG ENDIF ---- Bob's authentication data identical: .Satisfying the above script ---- ---- The script with +IF+ does the same thing as using an opcode with a +VERIFY+ suffix; they both operate as guard clauses. However, the +VERIFY+ construction is more efficient, using two fewer opcodes. So, when do we use +VERIFY+ and when do we use +IF+? If all we are trying to do is to attach a precondition (guard clause), then +VERIFY+ is better. If, however, we want to have more than one execution path (flow control), then we need an +IF...ELSE+ flow control clause. [TIP] ==== ((("EQUAL opcode")))((("opcodes", "EQUAL")))((("EQUALVERIFY opcode")))((("opcodes", "EQUALVERIFY")))An opcode such as +EQUAL+ will push the result (+TRUE+/+FALSE+) onto the stack, leaving it there for evaluation by subsequent opcodes. In contrast, the opcode +EQUALVERIFY+ suffix does not leave anything on the stack. Opcodes that end in +VERIFY+ do not leave the result on the stack. ==== ==== Using Flow Control in Scripts A very common use for flow control in Bitcoin Script is to construct a script that offers multiple execution paths, each a different way of redeeming the UTXO. ((("use cases", "buying coffee")))Let's look at a simple example, where we have two signers, Alice and Bob, and either one is able to redeem. With multisig, this would be expressed as a 1-of-2 multisig script. For the sake of demonstration, we will do the same thing with an +IF+ clause: ---- IF CHECKSIG ELSE CHECKSIG ENDIF ---- Looking at this redeemScript, you may be wondering: "Where is the condition? There is nothing preceding the +IF+ clause!" The condition is not part of the script. Instead, the condition will be offered at spending time, allowing Alice and Bob to "choose" which execution path they want. .Alice satisifies the above script: ---- 1 ---- The +1+ at the end serves as the condition (+TRUE+) that will make the +IF+ clause execute the first redemption path for which Alice has a signature. For Bob to redeem this, he would have to choose the second execution path by giving a +FALSE+ value to the +IF+ clause: ---- 0 ---- Bob's scriptSig puts a +0+ on the stack, causing the +IF+ clause to execute the second (+ELSE+) script, which requires Bob's signature. Since +OP_IF+ clauses can be nested, we can create a "maze" of execution paths. The scriptSig can provide a "map" selecting which execution path is actually executed: ---- IF script A ELSE IF script B ELSE script C ENDIF ENDIF ---- In this scenario, there are three execution paths (+subscript A+, +subscript B+, and +subscript C+). The scriptSig provides a path in the form of a sequence of +TRUE+ or +FALSE+ values. To select path +subscript B+, for example, the scriptSig must end in +1 0+ (+TRUE+, +FALSE+). These values will be pushed onto the stack, so that the second value (+FALSE+) ends up at the top of the stack. The outer +IF+ clause pops the +FALSE+ value and executes the first +ELSE+ clause. Then the +TRUE+ value moves to the top of the stack and is evaluated by the inner (nested) +IF+, selecting the +B+ execution path. Using this construct, we can build redeemScripts with tens or hundreds of execution paths, each offering a different way to redeem the UTXO. To spend, we construct an scriptSig that navigates the execution path by putting the appropriate +TRUE+ and +FALSE+ values on the stack at each flow control point.((("", startref="Sflow07")))((("", startref="flow07")))((("", startref="condition07"))) === Complex Script Example ((("transactions", "advanced", "example")))((("scripting", "complex script example", id="Scomplex07")))In this section we combine many of the concepts from this chapter into a single example. ((("use cases", "import/export", id="mohamseventwo")))Our example uses the story of Mohammed, the company owner in Dubai who is operating an import/export business. ((("transactions", "advanced", "multisignature scripts")))((("scripting", "multisignature scripts", "import/export example")))((("multisignature scripts")))In this example, Mohammed wishes to construct a company capital account with flexible rules. The scheme he creates requires different levels of authorization depending on timelocks. The participants in the multisig scheme are Mohammed, his two partners Saeed and Zaira, and their company lawyer Abdul. The three partners make decisions based on a majority rule, so two of the three must agree. However, in the case of a problem with their keys, they want their lawyer to be able to recover the funds with one of the three partner signatures. Finally, if all partners are unavailable or incapacitated for a while, they want the lawyer to be able to manage the account directly. Here's the redeemScript that Mohammed designs to achieve this (line number prefix as XX): .Variable Multi-Signature with Timelock ---- 01 IF 02 IF 03 2 04 ELSE 05 <30 days> CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY DROP 06 CHECKSIGVERIFY 07 1 08 ENDIF 09 3 CHECKMULTISIG 10 ELSE 11 <90 days> CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY DROP 12 CHECKSIG 13 ENDIF ---- Mohammed's script implements three execution paths using nested +IF...ELSE+ flow control clauses. In the first execution path, this script operates as a simple 2-of-3 multisig with the three partners. This execution path consists of lines 3 and 9. Line 3 sets the quorum of the multisig to +2+ (2-of-3). This execution path can be selected by putting +TRUE TRUE+ at the end of the scriptSig: .Spending data for the first execution path (2-of-3 multisig) ---- 0 TRUE TRUE ---- [TIP] ==== The +0+ at the beginning of this scriptSig is because of a bug in +OP_CHECKMULTISIG+ that pops an extra value from the stack. The extra value is disregarded by the +OP_CHECKMULTISIG+, but it must be present or the script fails. Pushing +0+ is a workaround to the bug, as described in <>. ==== The second execution path can only be used after 30 days have elapsed from the creation of the UTXO. At that time, it requires the signature of Abdul the lawyer and one of the three partners (a 1-of-3 multisig). This is achieved by line 7, which sets the quorum for the multisig to +1+. To select this execution path, the scriptSig would end in +FALSE TRUE+: .Spending data for the second execution path (Lawyer + 1-of-3) ---- 0 FALSE TRUE ---- [TIP] ==== Why +FALSE TRUE+? Isn't that backward? Because the two values are pushed on to the stack, with +FALSE+ pushed first, then +TRUE+ pushed second. +TRUE+ is therefore popped _first_ by the first +IF+ opcode. ==== Finally, the third execution path allows Abdul the lawyer to spend the funds alone, but only after 90 days. To select this execution path, the scriptSig has to end in +FALSE+: .ScriptSig for the third execution path (Lawyer only) ---- FALSE ---- Try running the script on paper to see how it behaves on the stack. A few more things to consider when reading this example. See if you can find the answers: - Why can't the lawyer redeem the third execution path at any time by selecting it with +FALSE+ on the scriptSig? * How many execution paths can be used 5, 35, and 105 days, * respectively, after the UTXO is mined? * Are the funds lost if the lawyer loses his key? Does your answer * change if 91 days have elapsed? * How do the partners "reset" the clock every 29 or 89 days to prevent * the lawyer from accessing the funds? * Why do some +CHECKSIG+ opcodes in this script have the +VERIFY+ suffix * while others don't?((("", startref="Scomplex07")))((("", * startref="mohamseventwo"))) ==== Segregated Witness Output and Transaction Examples Let’s look at some of our example transactions and see how they would change with Segregated Witness. We’ll first look at how a Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH) payment is transformed with the Segregated Witness program. Then, we’ll look at the Segregated Witness equivalent for Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) scripts. Finally, we’ll look at how both of the preceding Segregated Witness programs can be embedded inside a P2SH script. [[p2wpkh]] ===== Pay-to-Witness-Public-Key-Hash (P2WPKH) In <>, ((("use cases", "buying coffee", id="aliced")))Alice created a transaction to pay Bob for a cup of coffee. That transaction created a P2PKH output with a value of 0.015 BTC that was spendable by Bob. The output’s script looks like this: .Example P2PKH scriptPubKey ---- DUP HASH160 ab68025513c3dbd2f7b92a94e0581f5d50f654e7 EQUALVERIFY CHECKSIG ---- With Segregated Witness, Alice would create a Pay-to-Witness-Public-Key-Hash (P2WPKH) script, which looks like this: .Example P2WPKH output script ---- 0 ab68025513c3dbd2f7b92a94e0581f5d50f654e7 ---- As you can see, a P2WPKH scriptPubKey is much simpler than the P2PKH equivilent. It consists of two values that are pushed on to the script evaluation stack. To an old (nonsegwit-aware) Bitcoin client, the two pushes would look like an output that anyone can spend and does not require a signature (or rather, can be spent with an empty signature). To a newer, segwit-aware client, the first number (0) is interpreted as a version number (the _witness version_) and the second part (20 bytes) is a _witness program_. The 20-byte witness program is simply the hash of the public key, as in a P2PKH script Now, let’s look at the corresponding transaction that Bob uses to spend this output. For the original script (nonsegwit), Bob’s transaction would have to include a signature within the transaction input: .Decoded transaction showing a P2PKH output being spent with a signature ---- [...] “Vin” : [ "txid": "0627052b6f28912f2703066a912ea577f2ce4da4caa5a5fbd8a57286c345c2f2", "vout": 0, "scriptSig": “”, ] [...] ---- However, to spend the Segregated Witness output, the transaction has no signature on that input. Instead, Bob’s transaction has an empty +scriptSig+ and includes a Segregated Witness, outside the transaction itself: .Decoded transaction showing a P2WPKH output being spent with separate witness data ---- [...] “Vin” : [ "txid": "0627052b6f28912f2703066a912ea577f2ce4da4caa5a5fbd8a57286c345c2f2", "vout": 0, "scriptSig": “”, ] [...] “witness”: “” [...] ---- ===== Wallet construction of P2WPKH It is extremely important to note that P2WPKH should only be created by the payee (recipient) and not converted by the sender from a known public key, P2PKH script, or address. The sender has no way of knowing if the recipient's wallet has the ability to construct segwit transactions and spend P2WPKH outputs. Additionally, P2WPKH outputs must be constructed from the hash of a _compressed_ public key. Uncompressed public keys are nonstandard in segwit and may be explicitly disabled by a future soft fork. If the hash used in the P2WPKH came from an uncompressed public key, it may be unspendable and you may lose funds. P2WPKH outputs should be created by the payee's wallet by deriving a compressed public key from their private key. [WARNING] ==== P2WPKH should be constructed by the payee (recipient) by converting a compressed public key to a P2WPKH hash. You should never transform a P2PKH script, Bitcoin address, or uncompressed public key to a P2WPKH witness script. ==== [[p2wsh]] ===== Pay-to-Witness-Script-Hash (P2WSH) The ((("use cases", "import/export", id="mohamappd")))second type of witness program corresponds to a Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) script. We saw this type of script in <>. In that example, P2SH was used by Mohammed's company to express a multisignature script. Payments to Mohammed's company were encoded with a script like this: .Example P2SH output script ---- HASH160 54c557e07dde5bb6cb791c7a540e0a4796f5e97e EQUAL ---- This P2SH script references the hash of a _redeemScript_ that defines a 2-of-3 multisignature requirement to spend funds. To spend this output, Mohammed's company would present the redeemScript (whose hash matches the script hash in the P2SH output) and the signatures necessary to satisfy that redeemScript, all inside the transaction input: .Decoded transaction showing a P2SH output being spent ---- [...] “Vin” : [ "txid": "abcdef12345...", "vout": 0, "scriptSig": “ <2 PubA PubB PubC PubD PubE 5 CHECKMULTISIG>”, ] ---- Now, let's look at how this entire example would be upgraded to segwit. If Mohammed's customers were using a segwit-compatible wallet, they would make a payment, creating a Pay-to-Witness-Script-Hash (P2WSH) output that would look like this: .Example P2WSH output script ---- 0 a9b7b38d972cabc7961dbfbcb841ad4508d133c47ba87457b4a0e8aae86dbb89 ---- Again, as with the example of P2WPKH, you can see that the Segregated Witness equivalent script is a lot simpler and omits the various script operands that you see in P2SH scripts. Instead, the Segregated Witness program consists of two values pushed to the stack: a witness version (0) and the 32-byte SHA256 hash of the witness script. [TIP] ==== While P2SH uses the 20-byte +RIPEMD160(SHA256(script))+ hash, the P2WSH witness program uses a 32-byte +SHA256(script)+ hash. This difference in the selection of the hashing algorithm is deliberate and is used to differentiate between the two types of witness programs (P2WPKH and P2WSH) by the length of the hash and to provide stronger security to P2WSH (128 bits of security in P2WSH versus 80 bits of security in P2SH). ==== Mohammed's company can spend outputs the P2WSH output by presenting the redeem script and the signatures would be segregated _outside_ the spending transaction as part of the witness data. Within the transaction input, Mohammed's ((("", startref="mohamappd")))wallet would put an empty +scriptSig+: correct witness script and sufficient signatures to satisfy it. Both the .Decoded transaction showing a P2WSH output being spent with separate witness data ---- [...] “Vin” : [ "txid": "abcdef12345...", "vout": 0, "scriptSig": “”, ] [...] “witness”: “ <2 PubA PubB PubC PubD PubE 5 CHECKMULTISIG>” [...] ---- ===== Differentiating between P2WPKH and P2WSH In the previous two sections, we demonstrated two types of witness programs: <> and <>. Both types of witness programs consist of a single byte version number followed by a longer hash. They look very similar, but are interpreted very differently: one is interpreted as a public key hash, which is satisfied by a signature and critical difference between them is the length of the hash: the other as a script hash, which is satisfied by a witness script. The - The public key hash in P2WPKH is 20 bytes - The script hash in P2WSH is 32 bytes This is the one difference that allows a wallet to differentiate between the two types of witness programs. By looking at the length of the hash, a wallet can determine what type of witness program it is, P2WPKH or P2WSH. ==== Upgrading to Segregated Witness As we can see from the previous examples, upgrading to Segregated Witness is a two-step process. First, wallets must create special segwit type outputs. Then, these outputs can be spent by wallets that know how to construct Segregated Witness transactions. In the examples, Alice's wallet was segwit-aware and able to create special outputs with Segregated Witness scripts. Bob's wallet is also segwit-aware and able to spend those outputs. What may not be obvious from the example is that in practice, Alice's wallet needs to _know_ that Bob uses a segwit-aware wallet and can spend these outputs. Otherwise, if Bob's wallet is not upgraded and Alice tries to make segwit payments to Bob, Bob's wallet will not be able to detect these payments. [TIP] ==== For P2WPKH and P2WSH payment types, both the sender and the recipient wallets need to be upgraded to be able to use segwit. Furthermore, the sender's wallet needs to know that the recipient's wallet is segwit-aware. ==== Segregated Witness will not be implemented simultaneously across the entire network. Rather, Segregated Witness is implemented as a backward-compatible upgrade, where _old and new clients can coexist_. Wallet developers will independently upgrade wallet software to add segwit capabilities. The P2WPKH and P2WSH payment types are used when both sender and recipient are segwit-aware. The traditional P2PKH and P2SH will continue to work for nonupgraded wallets. That leaves two important scenarios, which are addressed in the next section: - Ability of a sender's wallet that is not segwit-aware to make a payment to a recipient's wallet that can process segwit transactions - Ability of a sender's wallet that is segwit-aware to recognize and distinguish between recipients that are segwit-aware and ones that are not, by their _addresses_. ===== Embedding Segregated Witness inside P2SH Let's assume, for example, that Alice's wallet is not upgraded to segwit, but Bob's wallet is upgraded and can handle segwit transactions. Alice and Bob can use "old" non-segwit transactions. But Bob would likely want to use segwit to reduce transaction fees, taking advantage of the discount that applies to witness data. In this case Bob's wallet can construct a P2SH address that contains a segwit script inside it. Alice's wallet sees this as a "normal" P2SH address and can make payments to it without any knowledge of segwit. Bob's wallet can then spend this payment with a segwit transaction, taking full advantage of segwit and reducing transaction fees. Both forms of witness scripts, P2WPKH and P2WSH, can be embedded in a P2SH address. The first is noted as P2SH(P2WPKH) and the second is noted as P2SH(P2WSH). ===== Pay-to-Witness-Public-Key-Hash inside Pay-to-Script-Hash The first form of witness script we will examine is P2SH(P2WPKH). This is a Pay-to-Witness-Public-Key-Hash witness program, embedded inside a Pay-to-Script-Hash script, so that it can be used by a wallet that is not aware of segwit. Bob's wallet constructs a P2WPKH witness program with Bob's public key. This witness program is then hashed and the resulting hash is encoded as a P2SH script. The P2SH script is converted to a Bitcoin address, one that starts with a "3," as we saw in the <> section. Bob's wallet starts with the P2WPKH witness program we saw earlier: .Bob's P2WPKH witness program ---- 0 ab68025513c3dbd2f7b92a94e0581f5d50f654e7 ---- The P2WPKH witness program consists of the witness version and Bob's 20-byte public key hash. Bob's wallet then hashes the preceding witness program, first with SHA256, then with RIPEMD160, producing another 20-byte hash. Let's use +bx+ on the command-line to replicate that: .HASH160 of the P2WPKH witness program ---- echo \ '0 [ab68025513c3dbd2f7b92a94e0581f5d50f654e7]'\ | bx script-encode | bx sha256 | bx ripemd160 3e0547268b3b19288b3adef9719ec8659f4b2b0b ---- Next, the redeemScript hash is converted to a Bitcoin address. Let's use +bx+ on the command-line again: .P2SH address ---- echo \ '3e0547268b3b19288b3adef9719ec8659f4b2b0b' \ | bx address-encode -v 5 37Lx99uaGn5avKBxiW26HjedQE3LrDCZru ---- Now, Bob can display this address for customers to pay for their coffee. Alice's wallet can make a payment to +37Lx99uaGn5avKBxiW26HjedQE3LrDCZru+, just as it would to any other Bitcoin address. To pay Bob, Alice's wallet would lock the output with a P2SH script: ---- HASH160 3e0547268b3b19288b3adef9719ec8659f4b2b0b EQUAL ---- Even though Alice's wallet has no support for segwit, the payment it creates can be spent by Bob with a segwit transaction.((("", startref="aliced"))) ===== Pay-to-Witness-Script-Hash inside Pay-to-Script-Hash Similarly, a P2WSH witness program for a multisig script or other complicated script can be embedded inside a P2SH script and address, making it possible for any wallet to make payments that are segwit compatible. As we saw in <>, Mohammed's ((("use cases", "import/export")))company is using Segregated Witness payments to multisignature scripts. To make it possible for any client to pay his company, regardless of whether their wallets are upgraded for segwit, Mohammed's wallet can embed the P2WSH witness program inside a P2SH script. First, Mohammed's wallet hashes the redeemScript with SHA256 (just once). Let's use +bx+ to do that on the command-line: .Mohammed's wallet creates a P2WSH witness program ---- echo \ 2 \ [04C16B8698A9ABF84250A7C3EA7EEDEF9897D1C8C6ADF47F06CF73370D74DCCA01CDCA79DCC5C395D7EEC6984D83F1F50C900A24DD47F569FD4193AF5DE762C587] \ [04A2192968D8655D6A935BEAF2CA23E3FB87A3495E7AF308EDF08DAC3C1FCBFC2C75B4B0F4D0B1B70CD2423657738C0C2B1D5CE65C97D78D0E34224858008E8B49] \ [047E63248B75DB7379BE9CDA8CE5751D16485F431E46117B9D0C1837C9D5737812F393DA7D4420D7E1A9162F0279CFC10F1E8E8F3020DECDBC3C0DD389D9977965] \ [0421D65CBD7149B255382ED7F78E946580657EE6FDA162A187543A9D85BAAA93A4AB3A8F044DADA618D087227440645ABE8A35DA8C5B73997AD343BE5C2AFD94A5] \ [043752580AFA1ECED3C68D446BCAB69AC0BA7DF50D56231BE0AABF1FDEEC78A6A45E394BA29A1EDF518C022DD618DA774D207D137AAB59E0B000EB7ED238F4D800] \ 5 CHECKMULTISIG \ | bx script-encode | bx sha256 9592d601848d04b172905e0ddb0adde59f1590f1e553ffc81ddc4b0ed927dd73 ---- Next, the hashed redeemScript is turned into a P2WSH witness program: ---- 0 9592d601848d04b172905e0ddb0adde59f1590f1e553ffc81ddc4b0ed927dd73 ---- Then, the witness program itself is hashed with SHA256 and RIPEMD160, producing a new 20-byte hash, as used in traditional P2SH. Let's use +bx+ on the command-line to do that: .The HASH160 of the P2WSH witness program ---- echo \ '0 [9592d601848d04b172905e0ddb0adde59f1590f1e553ffc81ddc4b0ed927dd73]'\ | bx script-encode | bx sha256 | bx ripemd160 86762607e8fe87c0c37740cddee880988b9455b2 ---- Next, the wallet constructs a P2SH Bitcoin address from this hash. Again, we use +bx+ to calculate on the command-line: .P2SH Bitcoin address ---- echo \ '86762607e8fe87c0c37740cddee880988b9455b2'\ | bx address-encode -v 5 3Dwz1MXhM6EfFoJChHCxh1jWHb8GQqRenG ---- Now, Mohammed's clients can make payments to this address without any need to support segwit. To send a payment to Mohammed, a wallet would lock the output with the following P2SH script: .P2SH script used to lock payments to Mohammed's multisig ---- HASH160 86762607e8fe87c0c37740cddee880988b9455b2 EQUAL ---- Mohammed's company can then construct segwit transactions to spend these payments, taking advantage of segwit features including lower transaction fees.