A single, long-dormant string of code, hidden deep within the original Bitcoin stack, can introduce a suite of new functionality that could potentially see the Bitcoin network rival Ethereum in terms of decentralized finance (DeFi) activity.
The upgrade is called “OP_CAT” (short for operation code concatenate) and refers to a few simple lines of code originally introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto. This code was part of Bitcoin’s initial scripting system and effectively increased Bitcoin’s transaction utility and expanded the variety of operations users could perform with Bitcoin.
However, Nakamoto was initially worried that OP_CAT could expose the Bitcoin network to security risks, including denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and the creation of exponential memory requirements that could potentially overwhelm the network.
As a result, Nakamoto removed OP_CAT from the active opcodes in 2010 as part of a broader effort to make Bitcoin simpler and more robust.
But in October 2023, cryptographer Ethan Heilman and Botanix Labs lead engineer Armin Sabouri breathed fresh life into the idea of OP_CAT, introducing a proposal to reintroduce the opcode by way of a soft fork to the Bitcoin network.
If approved, the upgrade will bring a string of new upgrades to the network, introducing the possibility of rollups and expanding Bitcoin Tapsprict and its smart contract-like functionalities.
Since then, OP_CAT has rapidly gained traction not just among Bitcoin circles but also in the wider development community.
On April 25, OP_CAT was granted Bitcoin Improvement Proposal number 327, marking the first real step toward introducing and accepting the software upgrade.
While the OP_CAT upgrade is certainly not short of advocates — most notably Taproot Wizard co-founders Udi Wertheimer and Eric Wall — StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson is one of the key industry heavyweights from the Ethereum side pushing for OP_CAT to be introduced.
A “simple” addition with a big…
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