The 0.18 version of Bitcoin Core will be released soon, allowing Bitcoin to connect to the hardware wallet

The moment that Bitcoin support has always dreamed of is finally coming.

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According to Coindesk's April 8 report, Bitcoin Core is about to release its 0.18 version, allowing users to connect the entire node of Bitcoin to the hardware wallet. This sounds very technical and is a big step forward for the safety of the user. Bitcoin all nodes allow the user to verify that the transaction actually occurred. Hardware wallets are considered one of the safest ways to store Bitcoin. So, for those who don't want to take full control of their bitcoin and don't want to lose them, it's great to make it easier to combine the two. Wladimir van der Laan, head of Bitcoin Core maintenance responsible for coordinating the upcoming upgrade, told CoinDesk that this was one of the most exciting features of the time.

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However, this change is part of a broader effort to make Bitcoin's entire node more accessible to people outside of technology geeks. For example, Casa has launched a node that works without too many settings, and developers of Bitcoin protocols have been working to reduce the amount of data that users need to store a node (because users need to store all the blocks sent on the blockchain) Trading, so this node is very important).

Bitcoin Core's main developer, Andrew Chow, wrote on Twitter:

"With the integration of pull requests, Bitcoin Core 0.18 will work with hardware wallets using the Hardware Wallet Interface (HWI)."

He admits that it "is still only a command line, and it is manual," but he believes that "this is a big step forward" because the function is already there, but in a way it is a bit clumsy. Developers will continue to develop to make it easier to use.

Many features of the whole node

So why do you want to use the full node of Bitcoin first?

In order to send a transaction on the Bitcoin network, the user needs to connect to a Bitcoin node. Now, the whole node needs a lot of data, usually a few hundred GB, which is enough to fill a small laptop. It does play a role, because you don't have to trust other people to provide you with the right trading information, such as whether you actually received a transaction, you can verify this information yourself.

Since the value proposition of Bitcoin is not trusting others, some developers even believe that using Bitcoin in a way that eliminates the whole node violates the original intention of Bitcoin.

For example, Bitcoin Core contributor Sjors Provost believes that running a full node helps "know that your bitcoin is real" and he cites the Segwit2x example for demonstration. Segwit2x is a Bitcoin fork plan proposed in 2017, in which some companies, miners and users propose to upgrade the bit size of Bitcoin to a larger capacity.

There are concerns that mobile wallets that rely on Simplified Payment Verification (SPV) technology may be affected by miners' fraud when Segwit2x splits Bitcoin into two. Provost tells CoinDesk:

"In theory, the server will also lie to your balance. In a scenario like SegWit2x, it can decide which side of the fork to display. With a full node, you don't have to worry about this."

It also involves privacy issues. Provoost continues:

“The wallet software that is usually bundled with the hardware wallet will display your address to a third-party server, and the entire node will replace the wallet software and return the privacy to the user again.”

Wallet maintainer Samuel Dobson told CoinDesk:

"At the end of the day, the key lies in the trade-off between convenience and trust."

These questions motivate people to think that one day, "everyone" should run this full-node software, so they don't have to trust the accuracy of any other person's transaction information sent to them. As Nicolas Dorier, founder of BTCPay, wrote in a recent blog post:

"Yes, I believe that everyone will eventually run a full node. I don't think that in the future, not having a full node will severely limit your user experience, but it will also affect the areas of Bitcoin applications."

Offline storage of bitcoin is safer

On the other hand, hardware wallets are considered the safest way to store bitcoin. This is especially true when compared to storing them on a networked computer, because computers connected to the Internet are often completely exposed to hackers. Dobson told CoinDesk:

"The attack surface of a personal computer is much larger than the small devices that are used to store keys. These small devices are designed for security reasons. They are also less prone to random crashes or damage. Once damaged, it may cause you Lost the key that is not backed up on your computer."

With this new technology in Bitcoin Core software, users can store Bitcoin in an offline hardware wallet and then use their full node to verify that the data they are receiving (such as transaction data) is correct.

This technology has been around for a long time. Connecting hardware to a full node is also one of the key goals of the Electrum Personal Server project pioneered by developer Chris Belcher. He said in the project announcement released last year:

"I hope this software can be part of the plan and let as many people as possible have a full-node wallet."

However, Provoost acknowledges that each project has its pros and cons. He said:

“Although I think the HWI project is not as friendly as the Electrorum Personal Server, it should reduce the number of independent software components required.”

There is still a long way to go before the graphical interface is fully operational. Provoost said in a speech on this topic:

"Maybe one day, we will see this picture I showed you before, and then we will see the unicorn appear."

Other functions

The hardware wallet support in version 0.18 has produced a lot of exciting effects, and in addition, this version brings together other highlights from global contributors.

Dobson told CoinDesk some of the features he thought were "exciting", including improvements to a new "language" that was the basis for earlier versions of the Bitcoin core. The new command will allow developers to use this language "import descriptor". Dobson further explained:

"You can provide such a descriptor to the Bitcoin core, it will parse it, and then import the key, script, etc. into your wallet."

This is the first step in a long-term goal of redesigning the wallet and supporting these native descriptors in the wallet, which will greatly clean up some things and provide a more natural way of working with the way you want things to work ( And the way of working that is not exactly the same at the moment) is consistent. ”

Dobson also mentioned a new "multi-wallet" command that allows users to pair with multiple wallets within the entire Bitcoin Core node. Although the function of using multiple wallets at the same time already exists in the previous code, the 0.18 version first inserted the function into the graphical user interface, so people do not have to be skilled developers, and can use the command line to fully use the function. Features. Dobson said:

"Version 0.18 adds support for the graphical user interface (GUI) and makes some improvements in how it works."

So far, the 0.18 version is still in the “release candidate” phase of the software development cycle, which means that enthusiastic Bitcoin developers and companies are still testing it, and before they are officially released for download, they will The code is checked and debugged to eliminate any vulnerabilities.

According to project developers, it will be available for download and use in the coming weeks.

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