Bitcoin Core 0.21.0 introduces new “major features” to the software that powers the crypto, Core contributor Andrew Chow says. Here’s what’s in store for the upgrade.
Bitcoin Core, the open-source node and wallet software acquired from Satoshi Nakamoto’s original client, received many significant twists in an update released earlier today.
Among the most significant changes in Bitcoin Core 0.21.0 is the launch of “descriptor wallets,” which expanded the ways where Bitcoin wallets can be secured. Where traditional wallets have required private keys to move Bitcoin, descriptor wallets require scripts, which provide more flexibility on the back end. The scripts can incorporate private keys, however, they aren’t limited by them in the way that traditional “legacy wallets” are.
Release notes for the update enlightened that “the differences between Descriptor Wallets and Legacy Wallets are largely limited to non-user facing things,” and that legacy wallets will still be the default option in Bitcoin Core, for now at least.
One of the developers working on Bitcoin Core, Andrew Chow has proposed that legacy wallet to be fully removed and replaced with descriptor wallets by 2023.
The latest update also added support for the recent version of the privacy browser Tor, which planned to phase out older versions this summer, because of safety concerns; Bitcoin Core 0.21.0 aimed to eliminate compatibility issues for users aiming to run nodes over the private network.
Schnorr/Taproot – an upcoming upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol that improves privacy and scalability – shows in Bitcoin Core 0.21.0, too, although it is not operational just yet. Although the code is included in the update, the Bitcoin mainnet will have to catch up before Bitcoin Core users will take advantage of it.
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