Taproot Consensus: A new Layer 2 solution built on Bitcoin's native technology

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The culmination of Bitcoin's native expansion technology: Taproot Consensus Technology Analysis

On May 20, 2024, the Bitcoin Layer2 development team officially released the technical white paper "Taproot Consensus: A Decentralized BTC Layer2 Solution." This white paper details the implementation of Taproot Consensus and how to combine Schnorr signatures, MAST, Bitcoin SPV nodes, and other Bitcoin-native technologies to build a fully decentralized BTC Layer2 solution.

The Taproot Consensus plan is a culmination of Bitcoin's native expansion technologies. It does not modify or reduce any part of Bitcoin's code, but innovatively combines several of Bitcoin's native technologies, with a simple concept and a clever structure.

Bitcoin Native Expansion Technology Collector: Comprehensive Interpretation of BEVM Technology Yellow Paper

Bitcoin Technology Development Review

On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto published the paper "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," which proposed a complete technical implementation of Bitcoin. The paper mentioned the SPV (Simple Payment Verification) solution, which is a technology that allows payments to be verified without the need to run a full node.

On January 3, 2009, the Bitcoin genesis block was born. Satoshi Nakamoto used the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) in the code, rather than the Schnorr signature technique, which was still under patent protection at the time.

In 2018, Bitcoin core developers officially proposed to introduce Schnorr signatures into the Bitcoin network.

On November 14, 2021, Bitcoin completed the Taproot upgrade, officially introducing Schnorr signatures and MAST (Merkel Abstract Syntax Tree) technology. This allows Bitcoin to achieve more complex multi-signature and smart contract functionalities.

Taproot Consensus Overview

The Taproot Consensus scheme combines Bitcoin's Taproot technology (Schnorr signatures and MAST), Bitcoin SPV light nodes, and the BFT PoS consensus mechanism to build a decentralized and highly consistent Layer 2 network.

The plan consists of three parts:

  1. Schnorr+MAST: Achieving decentralized multi-signature management for Bitcoin, driven by code rather than manual signatures.

  2. Bitcoin SPV: Allows synchronization and verification of Bitcoin transactions without running a full node.

  3. Aura+Grandpa: A universal BFT PoS consensus protocol that ensures high consistency among network nodes.

Taproot Consensus Operating Principle

In this system, each validator holds a BTC private key used for Schnorr signatures. The aggregated public key generated through the Musig2 multi-signature scheme forms a large MAST tree. Validators implement the functionality of submitting data from the BTC mainnet to the Layer 2 network by transferring BTC and engraving operations to the threshold signature address generated by the MAST tree.

At the same time, each validator acts as a Bitcoin SPV light node, able to securely and permissionlessly synchronize the BTC network status. Layer 2 networks (such as BEVM) run a Bitcoin SPV node network to achieve data state synchronization with Bitcoin Layer 1. To ensure the security and trustworthiness of the Layer 2 network, the Bitcoin SPV node network is integrated with Aura+Grandpa, giving it a BFT consensus-level security.

Comparison with Other BTC Layer2 Solutions

Compared to the Mezo project based on the tBTC protocol, Taproot Consensus adopts a more advanced design. Mezo still relies on a multisig network of 9 signers, while Taproot Consensus builds a highly consistent and secure decentralized Layer 2 scaling solution by combining Schnorr signatures, MAST, Bitcoin SPV light nodes, and a BFT PoS consensus mechanism.

This integration not only enhances the scalability and usability of the Bitcoin network but also ensures the security and consistency of Layer2 networks.

Conclusion

The Taproot Consensus plan showcases a layer two solution built entirely on Bitcoin's native technology. It respects and inherits the technical direction of Bitcoin while innovating by incorporating new technologies brought by Bitcoin upgrades, representing the culmination of Bitcoin's native expansion technology.

As the Bitcoin ecosystem continues to develop, truly decentralized Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions will become a necessary path for the development of the Bitcoin ecosystem, and solutions like Taproot Consensus are expected to play an important role in the future.

TAPROOT10.46%
BTC2.97%
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GasFeeNightmarevip
· 07-10 22:02
Speechless, another L2?
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PaperHandSistervip
· 07-10 19:53
Another new way to Be Played for Suckers?
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LightningSentryvip
· 07-10 19:25
I am optimistic about this gameplay!
View OriginalReply0
AirdropLickervip
· 07-08 06:43
Here we go again, trying to scam an Airdrop. This time it's on L2, right?
View OriginalReply0
ReverseFOMOguyvip
· 07-08 06:37
There are so many L2s... I'm dizzy from looking at them.
View OriginalReply0
MEVSandwichMakervip
· 07-08 06:34
Another new L2 has come out... Are we going to mess around again?
View OriginalReply0
CryptoMomvip
· 07-08 06:22
Another new l2 has arrived, my big BTC baby.
View OriginalReply0
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