blockstream_official

bitcoin

The Blockstream Explorer API self-service dashboard is now live. 🧭

Developers can sign up, generate API keys, track usage, and manage billing all in one place.

This makes accessing reliable Bitcoin and Liquid blockchain data easier than ever.

Try it out today: https://dashboard.blockstream.info/

https://youtu.be/TEBkjNaTm8c

🧭 Blockstream Explorer API: Instantly Generate Keys & Start Building Today!

Announcing Core Lightning v25.02, "Onion Packet Filler Accreditation"!

With 242 commits from 21 authors in 68 days, this maintenance release brings key updates for users, developers, and the network, enhancing stability and functionality.

https://m.primal.net/PbNi.gif 

Dive deeper into the updates!

Read the full blog post on CLN v25.02 to learn more about the new features and improvements for users, developers, and the network.

https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-v25-02-onion-packet-filler-accreditation-2/

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CLN v25.02 "Onion Packet Filler Accreditation" is LIVE! ⚡️

ICYMI: Blockstream is championing a new grant for Bitcoin layer-2 projects building with the Lightning and Liquid networks at our Lugano-based research hub.

Get the space, support, and resources to develop your passion project—fast. ⚡️🌊

Apply now --> https://blockstream.typeform.com/to/KLeflywl

Opportunity details:

🌊 CHF 10,000 sponsorship for a founder or small startup team to live in Lugano.

⚡️ Work closely alongside the Blockstream team on-site for technical expertise and guidance.

🌊 Take your idea to market with a dedicated workspace for designing, prototyping, and launching your product in record time.

Apply Now: Build with Blockstream at the New Lugano Research Hub! 🏗️

Starting Nov 29 at 12:00 EST, be online for our biggest sale of the year! 

Buy two Jades and get the second one for 50% off. Plus, enjoy free shipping across North America and Europe. 🌎🌍 


Black Friday Alert! Buy 2 Jades, get 50% off the second + free shipping 🇺🇸🇪🇺

Starting today, our fully open-source hardware wallet, Blockstream Jade supports Miniscript. 

Use timelocks and more complex multisig arrangements for greater peace of mind and planning by pairing Jade with the Liana Bitcoin wallet.

Full details.

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-jade-adds-support-for-miniscript/
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✍️ Blockstream Jade Adds Support for Miniscript 🔒

In the latest from Blockstream Research, Andrew Poelstra summarizes the past six months of innovation in Bitcoin Script, including Miniscript, Lamport signatures, BitVM, OP_CAT and discusses where they intersect.

https://blog.blockstream.com/script-state-from-lamport-signatures/
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🔑 Script State From Lamport Signatures

Is OP_CAT happening?

The covenants proposal was recently assigned BIP 347, and now it's up to the community to decide. Blockstreamer Kiara Bickers breaks down the pros and cons and attempts to answer the question on most Bitcoiners' minds: Is it safe?

https://blog.blockstream.com/op_cat-the-purr-fect-solution-for-covenants/

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🐱 OP_CAT: THE PURR-FECT SOLUTION FOR COVENANTS?

The v24.05 release of Core Lightning, codenamed "The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi," is now final!

v24.05 focuses on stability and QoL improvements, as well as addressing pain points around the pay command and recent gossip updates. Other updates include:

⚡️renepay plugin refactored
⚡️file descriptor limit is now auto-increased
⚡️faster block processing while synchronizing
⚡️massive documentation overhaul for RPCs

See all updates in the latest release blog👇

https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-v24-05-the-infinitely-divisible-satoshi/

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⚡️ Core Lightning v24.05 "The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi" ➗

In March, the European Bitcoin-only Relai app activated non-custodial Lightning transactions through Greenlight. Now, it has scaled its offering to over 100,000 users. Learn about the integration process, challenges, and solutions in this case study.

https://blog.blockstream.com/case-study-relais-integration-of-greenlight-by-blockstream/
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⚡️ Case Study: Relai's Integration of Greenlight by Blockstream

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As we enter a new era powered by Bitcoin, those who have historically been left behind could lead the charge in scaling financial trust (by disintermediating it) not just locally but on a global scale. In doing so, they would transform from their status as outsiders into outstanding examples for us all of how to build fairer and more inclusive financial systems.

The latest from the Blockstream BD team, which dissects the writings of Nick Szabo and others:
https://blog.blockstream.com/scaling-trust-bitcoins-role-in-bridging-the-global-digital-divide/

🌐 Scaling Trust: Bitcoin’s Role in Bridging the Global Digital Divide


Episode #40 of Blockstream Talk with Relai app CTO Adem Bilican is out now! Tune in as host Jesse Knutson discusses the integration of non-custodial Lightning for over 100K European customers utilizing Greenlight. 

🎧 Listen: https://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk40
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/a2tVgHiY0f4

⛈️ Relai's Non-Custodial Lightning Integration with Greenlight - BT #40

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Grassroots outreach and action, especially through local Bitcoin meetups, have been instrumental in transforming Bitcoin from a niche technology into a permanent fixture in finance.

Bitcoin's narrative is not shaped, for example, by an official marketing department or spokesperson, but by the persistent efforts of everyday people like you. This is why we are launching Blockstream Local, a new initiative designed to empower communities with the necessary tools and support to carry forward the legacy of grassroots Bitcoin education.

By joining Blockstream Local, your meetup will receive curated education resources, early access to new Blockstream products, and the ability to create a revenue stream, all of which can significantly amplify impact in your local community.

Read more and learn how to register today:

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-local-meetup-support-and-grassroots-bitcoin-education/

📍 Blockstream Local: Meetup Support and Grassroots Bitcoin Education

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As the Liquid Network's technical provider, Blockstream is committed to making it easier to build on Liquid and the broader L2 ecosystem. These recent development efforts have culminated in the new Liquid Wallet Kit (LWK), a collection of Rust tools to build Liquid wallets.

The aim of LWK is to provide all the necessary building blocks for Liquid wallet applications development and simplify the life of developers by addressing common pain points of the current tooling. We want LWK to be a reference tool that can help reduce friction for Liquid integration, define ecosystem standards and productionize Liquid innovation.

Read more about what you can build with LWK today:

https://blog.blockstream.com/lwk-liquid-wallett-kit/

🧰 LWK: Liquid Wallets Made Easy 🌊

Check out episode #39 of Blockstream Talk! Host Jesse Knutson chats with Andrew Howard and Raúl Velasquez from JAN3 about Aqua wallet's innovative approach to Tether and Bitcoin. Discover JAN3 Financial's role in driving institutional adoption and its influence on global policies. Plus, get the scoop on Aqua's upcoming BTCmap integration and collaboration with Botev Plovdiv.

🎧 Listen: https://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk39
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/i1kxB7JnX84

🎧 Streamlining BTC Layer-2 Payments Using Liquid and Lightning On Aqua Wallet

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Calling all developers! We're on a mission to refine our SDKs, libraries and dev resources. Share your experiences in our quick survey. Your insights drive our improvements! ⬇️

https://community.corelightning.org/c/developers/feedback-for-blockstream-sdks-libraries-dev-resources

📝 Feedback for Blockstream SDKs, Libraries & Dev resources 

We've just released episode #38 of Blockstream Talk, featuring insights from Blockstream Liquid Engineer Byron Hambly. We delve deep into Bitcoin's scalability, the development of layer-2 solutions and explore crucial topics like the blockchain trilemma and covenants on Bitcoin. We also discuss the significance of interoperability between the Lightning and Liquid networks for the global south.

📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Jn-XKKcQ-NA
🎧 Listen: http://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk38

Beating the Bitcoin Blockchain Trilemma with Layer-2s - Blockstream Talk #38

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Last year, we improved upon Green's security and privacy fundamentals by wholly redesigning the mobile wallet for a more refined self-custody experience. In the latest 2.0.0 release of Green Desktop, users will get this same refreshed experience, including a more user-friendly interface for hardware wallet users, the ability to have one recovery phrase for both your Bitcoin and Liquid accounts, an all-new dashboard with Bitcoin price and fees, and much more!

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-green-2-0-a-new-accessible-experience-for-bitcoin-desktop-wallets/

Blockstream Green 2.0: A New, Accessible Experience for Bitcoin Desktop Wallets


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Yesterday, we joined forces with leading digital assets platform Bitfinex Securities for the launch of ‘Bitcoin Capital,’ a new virtual roundtable series designed to explore the dynamic intersection of blockchain technology and traditional finance.

The first hour-long session featured legendary cryptographer and Bitcoin pioneer Dr. Adam Back, CEO and co-founder of Blockstream, and Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex Securities. Together, they explored a range of topics, touching on everything from the projected impact of the recent Bitcoin ETF approvals to the role of tokenization in transforming the issuance of traditional financial instruments like securities, bonds, and even mortgages.

Get the recap below:

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-and-bitfinex-securities-launch-new-bitcoin-capital-virtual-roundtable-series/

Blockstream & BFXSecurities Launch ‘Bitcoin Capital’ Virtual Roundtable Series

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After three months and 418 commits submitted by 36 contributors, the latest release of Core Lightning, v24.02, codenamed "Uint Needs Signature," is now out!

While mainly a maintenance release, there are numerous changes that node operators will love, as well as some under-the-hood improvements that will make it simpler and more affordable for users to run CLN, including:

⚡️Testnet fix
⚡️New recovery plugin for greater reliability
⚡️Optimization of block process (now >50% faster)
⚡️The gossip_store file can now be shared among multiple nodes
⚡️Bonus: Dual funding has officially been added to the Lightning spec!

Read more on the official Blockstream blog:

https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-v24-02-uint-needs-signature/

⚡️ Core Lightning v24.02 Uint Needs Signature

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Join the inaugural Bitcoin Capital livestream with Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, & Paolo Ardoino CTO of Bitfinex Securities, as we dive into Bitcoin's impact on the institutional landscape. Bridging academia, tech, and finance, we're exploring the future of finance, including:

🎫 Tokenized bonds
💰 Bitcoin layer-2s
💻 Digital securities

Hosted by Jesse Knutson, Head of Operations at Bitfinex Securities. Register for the livestream happening on February 27th at 5:00 PM CET. ⬇️

https://blockstream.com/bitcoin-capital/

Bitcoin Capital #1 with Adam Back and Paolo Ardoino

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A proposed solution to #Bitcoin scalability and lack of expressivity is the addition of new covenant opcodes. Each proposal has its own advantages, disadvantages, and trade-offs, but all include a certain level of Miner Extractable Value (MEV) risk. Given these inherent traits in the nature of programmable money, what level of risk is acceptable?

We explore this question by examining MEV and the limitations of Bitcoin Script. We also look at some of the covenant proposals, such as CAT + CSFS and CTV, as well as the new Simplicity blockchain language, an alternative to Bitcoin Script that is more expressive with static analysis and formal verification.

The latest from Blockstream Research:

https://blog.blockstream.com/miner-extractable-value-mev-and-programmable-money-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/