Taproot
btc · upgrade
A Bitcoin upgrade that enables more private and efficient spending using Schnorr signatures and script path commitments.
Taproot (activated on BTC in Nov 2021) improves privacy and efficiency by introducing key- and script-path spending with Schnorr signatures and Merkleized script trees. Complex spending policies can appear on-chain like simple single-sig spends when using the key path.
Benefits include smaller signatures, key aggregation, and fewer visible script details on-chain. Some features require wallet support and new address types (e.g., P2TR) to be fully utilized.
Related terms
Schnorr Signatures
→A digital signature scheme with linear properties that can improve verification, multi-signature design, and privacy.
bch · scaling
SegWit
→A Bitcoin upgrade that moved signatures into witness data, fixing third-party malleability and changing block capacity.
scaling · btc
Bitcoin (BTC)
→The first widely adopted cryptocurrency, using proof of work and an issuance schedule capped near 21 million BTC under current rules.
cryptocurrency · btc
Transaction
→A serialized state transition that a blockchain can validate, relay, and include in a block.
blockchain · technical