I think the notion that the blockchain is Bitcoin's database is wrong.
* the UTXO set is the database
* the blocks take the database from one consistent state to the next.
* the blocks are needed only by newly started nodes to recreate the database.
In this context,
* OP_RETURN is not bloating the database as it never enters it.
* Encoding data in non-OP_RETURN outputs does bloat the database.
Switching what you call "the database" doesn't change the problem with bloat, but maybe the perspective changes a little bit.
npub1g9…fy05t
2025-05-08 17:38:15 CEST
Author Public Key
npub1g9ym6t98cz9tvvsac865zak83txjjhd2yqcdegzwsqg2mxfww9xs8fy05tSeen on
wss://relay.damus.ioPublished at
2025-05-08 17:38:15 CESTEvent JSON
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"pubkey": "4149bd2ca7c08ab6321dc1f54176c78acd295daa2030dca04e8010ad992e714d",
"created_at": 1746718695,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [],
"content": "I think the notion that the blockchain is Bitcoin's database is wrong.\n\n* the UTXO set is the database\n* the blocks take the database from one consistent state to the next.\n* the blocks are needed only by newly started nodes to recreate the database.\n\nIn this context, \n\n* OP_RETURN is not bloating the database as it never enters it.\n* Encoding data in non-OP_RETURN outputs does bloat the database.\n\nSwitching what you call \"the database\" doesn't change the problem with bloat, but maybe the perspective changes a little bit.",
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}