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@ asyncmind
2025-05-07 10:13:35
The proposed changes to OP_RETURN in Bitcoin Core—especially if they involve increasing the data size limit or allowing multiple OP_RETURN outputs per transaction—would have several implications for node operators, particularly those running archival or fully validating nodes:
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Impacts for Node Operators
1. Increased Disk Usage
Larger or multiple OP_RETURN outputs mean more arbitrary data can be embedded on-chain.
Archival nodes must store all this data forever, inflating the blockchain size.
Over time, this can result in significant bloat, increasing storage costs.
2. Potential for Spam
If limits are raised, attackers could use OP_RETURN to flood the blockchain with junk data.
This could lead to denial-of-service risks, especially for resource-constrained nodes.
3. Validation Overhead
While OP_RETURN is unspendable and doesn’t require script execution, more outputs per transaction still increase:
Transaction size
Mempool load
Block validation times
4. Indexing Pressure
Nodes with indexing features (e.g. for txindex, block explorers, or services like OpenTimestamps or Ordinals) will have to process and index more data.
This may increase CPU and RAM usage depending on indexing depth.
5. Policy Implications
Bitcoin Core treats OP_RETURN via standardness policy (not consensus). So:
Nodes may choose to reject or relay OP_RETURN transactions differently.
You might want to tweak mempool or relay policies if abuse becomes common.
6. Tooling and Application Support
Lightning devs, metadata registries, or L2s may adopt the new space for commitments.
Node operators hosting public services will need to monitor for new use cases or protocols leveraging OP_RETURN.
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What Should Node Operators Do?
Monitor BIP proposals (e.g., potential new BIPs for multi-OP_RETURN support).
Consider disk provisioning strategies (e.g., prune mode if archival bloat becomes an issue).
Evaluate whether to tighten mempool policies (e.g., via mempoolfullrbf or datacarriersize flags).
Stay informed via Core dev mailing lists, PRs, and testnet experiments.
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Would you like a breakdown of the philosophical implications too (e.g., Bitcoin as a database vs money)?