In the cryptocurrency world, Bitcoin is known as the most popular and most valuable cryptocurrency. But Bitcoin also has some problems and shortcomings. To address these issues and make Bitcoin a better cryptocurrency, documents called Bitcoin Improvement Recommendations (BIP) are published from time to time by the Bitcoin community.
BIPs propose changes that affect the functioning, security, scalability, or performance of the Bitcoin protocol. BIPs are implemented if they are discussed and agreed upon among Bitcoin developers, miners, businesses, and users. BIPs allow Bitcoin to develop in a decentralized and democratic way.
Some examples of BIPs are:
- BIP 32: Hierarchical Identifier Wallets. This BIP proposes a wallet structure that allows generating multiple addresses using a single key. In this way, users can more easily back up their wallets and increase their privacy.
- BIP 141: Segregated Witness (SegWit). This BIP aims to increase the block size and improve the transaction capacity by splitting the transaction data into two parts. It also solves some security problems by changing the signature part in transactions.
- BIP 148: User Activated Soft Fork (UASF). This BIP proposes a mechanism that allows users to pressure the implementation of SegWit. This prevents miners from blocking SegWit.
- BIP 173: Bech32 Address Format. This BIP proposes a new address format. This format makes SegWit compatible addresses shorter and more legible. It also provides error checking, preventing misspelling or copying errors.
There are many more BIPs like these, and each contributes to making Bitcoin a better cryptocurrency. Following and understanding BIPs is essential for learning what's going on in the cryptocurrency world.