Bitcoin Core V.30 is about to be released, Bitcoin core contributor Murch reveals the key changes in the new version.

The Bitcoin Core development team is expected to officially release Bitcoin Core v.30 in October. This upgrade includes several important improvements, such as restructuring the wallet architecture, optimizing node performance, and enhancing the mining interface for miners. This article is compiled and translated from the "Supply Shock" segment of the program, where Murch, a major contributor to the Bitcoin Core code, and host Rizzo reveal the update status of Bitcoin Core v30 ahead of the new version's release. The interview discusses why the project led by Murch intends to eliminate the previous Berkeley DB wallet ( and transition to a completely new descriptor wallet format, further discussing the potential benefits of this new version for early miners and Murch's responses to differing opinions within the Bitcoin community.

Stop supporting the old version of Berkeley DB Wallet

A very important point for the Bitcoin core community is that anyone who has ever held Bitcoin (BTC) in a Bitcoin core wallet or in a wallet based on the design from the time of Satoshi Nakamoto can import and use it. However, the original format of the wallet backup, or the way the wallet stores data in the backend, relies on the Berkeley DB open-source software, which was acquired by Oracle and then became closed source. Therefore, the latest open-source version has not been maintained since around 2014.

Bitcoin Core 30.0 will completely stop supporting the old Berkeley DB wallet format and will switch to using Descriptor Wallets exclusively. ( Note 2) The new version features include the ability to read old wallets, but it will no longer be possible to create or write to Berkeley DB wallets. Users can transfer old wallets to the Descriptor Wallet format, enjoying higher backup reliability and predictable behavior, with a simplified internal wallet design, for instance, no longer mixing read-only and spendable outputs simultaneously, making management more consistent. This restructuring also facilitates further support for Miniscript, hardware wallet integration, multi-signature, and other advanced applications.

The advantages of Descriptor Wallet

Improve multi-signature and support hardware Wallets

Descriptor (temporary translated descriptor) can clearly represent multi-signature structures, such as multi 2, xpub1, xpub2, xpub3, enhancing collaboration and the convenience of the signing process, integrating PSBT (Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions), allowing cold wallets, hardware wallets, and signers to seamlessly connect, and clearly indicating the path and xpub, enabling different devices or partners to consistently reconstruct address and signature verification processes.

Who is the target user of the Bitcoin Core wallet software?

According to Murch's explanation, many developers in the Bitcoin core community target users. The Bitcoin Core Wallet is a permanent wallet and remains compatible with the original code created since the time of Satoshi Nakamoto. Loading wallets from the Satoshi Nakamoto era in Bitcoin Core version v30 still works normally.

Response to Bitcoin community's doubts

Regarding the concerns some members of the community have about version v30 bringing "harm to Bitcoin," Murch stated that Bitcoin Core v30 does not introduce any mandatory changes or destructive behaviors; all modifications have been rigorously reviewed, tested, and achieved community consensus by multiple contributors. The software remains fully open-source with voluntary and auditable development principles.

The Bitcoin core team maintains a major version update every six months, releasing it in April and October each year, while the Release Candidate versions are launched at the end of March and September. Currently, the candidate version RC2 has been released at the end of September, and if there are no major issues, it is expected to officially launch v30 between early and mid-October. Each major version typically goes through a maximum of four candidate versions to validate fixes, stability, and compatibility.

Note 1: According to the verbatim transcript of the interview, Murch stated that the original format of wallet backup, Berkeley DB, is an open-source software that was acquired by companies like Oracle and subsequently became closed source. Therefore, the latest open-source version has not been maintained since around 2014.

Note 2: In an episode of the developer podcast Bitcoin Optech, it was pointed out: Remove the legacy wallet and BDB dependency is the final step to remove the old wallet and BDB. The program stated: Starting from Bitcoin Core 30.0, it is no longer possible to create new legacy (Berkeley DB) wallets, nor can old legacy wallets be loaded, only the most basic migration function is retained to convert the old wallet to a descriptor wallet.

This article Bitcoin Core v.30 is about to be released, Bitcoin core contributor Murch reveals the key changes in the new version, which first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.