This guide explains Bitcoin Core 23.0 release in plain English. It summarises the important changes, who they affect and what should be checked before an upgrade.
TL;DR
- What it is: Bitcoin Core 23.0 was released on 25 April 2022 with changes that affect network reachability, wallet creation, fee estimation, RPC schemas and operational files. Descriptor wallets became the default and included single-key Taproot descriptors; full CJDNS support arrived; fee estimates began accounting for replacement transactions; and several legacy flags or fields were removed or migrated.
- Why it matters: Core 23.0 changed defaults and persistence as well as features. Operators should explicitly choose wallet type, migrate operational state, update RPC consumers and verify network and wallet behaviour before declaring the upgrade complete.
- Current position: Require a second reviewer and explicit rollback or expiry, and pause payments, signing or network-dependent services until post-change evidence is complete.
Bitcoin Core 23.0 release in simple English
Bitcoin Core 23.0 release: Inbound peers must participate in address exchange before receiving gossip, the preference for port 8333 was removed and full CJDNS support arrived behind explicit reachability configuration.
Simple example
A node operator is checking Bitcoin Core 23.0 release. Inventory hosts and client libraries before replacing a fleet-wide binary. Official binaries supported macOS 10.15 and later alongside Linux and Windows.
Key terms in plain English
- Bitcoin Core:
- Widely used software that validates Bitcoin and can provide wallet, network and operator tools.
- RPC:
- A command that software sends to a node to request information or a local action.
- Taproot:
- A Bitcoin upgrade that added new signature and script options for spending outputs.
- Node:
- A computer running Bitcoin software that checks data and communicates with other peers.
Compatibility
Official binaries supported macOS 10.15 and later alongside Linux and Windows. Inventory hosts and client libraries before replacing a fleet-wide binary.
Network behaviour
Inbound peers must participate in address exchange before receiving gossip, the preference for port 8333 was removed and full CJDNS support arrived behind explicit reachability configuration.
Wallet defaults
New wallets are descriptor wallets unless explicitly disabled and include a tr() receive descriptor. Legacy importmulti and dumpprivkey workflows do not work with descriptor wallets.
Fee and rescan
Fee estimation incorporates RBF replacements. The -rescan startup option was removed; use rescanblockchain for deliberate historical scanning and monitor progress and completion.
RPC changes
getdeploymentinfo became the soft-fork status interface, getblock verbosity three added prevouts and several deprecated address and fee fields changed or disappeared with important unit differences.
Files and locks
banlist.json superseded banlist.dat with a 22.x migration bridge. Lockunspent gained persistent locks, and GUI locks survive restart, changing maintenance expectations.
How specialists test it
Node operators test the release on a representative non-production system. They check startup, normal operation, failure handling and restart before changing a live node. Connected wallets, monitoring and mining services should also be checked.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main point of Bitcoin Core 23.0 release?
Bitcoin Core 23.0 release: Inbound peers must participate in address exchange before receiving gossip, the preference for port 8333 was removed and full CJDNS support arrived behind explicit reachability configuration.
For Bitcoin Core 23.0 release, what should a beginner know about compatibility?
Official binaries supported macOS 10.15 and later alongside Linux and Windows.
For Bitcoin Core 23.0 release, what should a beginner know about network behaviour?
Inbound peers must participate in address exchange before receiving gossip, the preference for port 8333 was removed and full CJDNS support arrived behind explicit reachability configuration.
For Bitcoin Core 23.0 release, what should a beginner know about wallet defaults?
New wallets are descriptor wallets unless explicitly disabled and include a tr() receive descriptor.
Conclusion
Core 23.0 changed defaults and persistence as well as features. Operators should explicitly choose wallet type, migrate operational state, update RPC consumers and verify network and wallet behaviour before declaring the upgrade complete.
Primary sources
Check the current specification status and the documentation for the exact implementation you operate before moving production funds or changing a mining node.
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