Bitcoin Core developers have proposed a significant protocol change for the upcoming v30 release: expanding the data storage capacity of OP_RETURN outputs from the current 80-byte limit to 4MB per output.
This change aims to modernize Bitcoin’s data handling capabilities, enabling richer data types like digital art and metadata to be stored directly on-chain. Developers argue it aligns protocol rules with existing mining practices, potentially reducing centralization risks associated with alternative data storage methods.
Initial implementation will allow users to configure their own size limits manually, but the update intends to standardize larger storage to discourage potentially harmful workarounds.
The proposal has ignited intense debate within the Bitcoin community. Proponents view it as a crucial step towards enhancing Bitcoin’s utility and functionality as a programmable platform beyond simple transactions.
Critics, however, strongly oppose the change, arguing that it fundamentally compromises Bitcoin’s core principles. They contend that enabling significantly larger data storage alters Bitcoin’s foundational characteristics as a secure, decentralized financial network, potentially impacting its security model and original vision.
This debate underscores the ongoing tension within the Bitcoin ecosystem between fostering innovation and maintaining the network’s core tenets of security, decentralization, and its primary function as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.