Bitcoin researchers are polishing a new open-source framework called BitVMX, which promises to allow complex applications and functions to be built and executed securely on Bitcoin’s base layer.
BitVMX, inspired by Robin Linus’s BitVM project, is backed by RootstockLabs, the development firm behind the Bitcoin layer-2 protocol Rootstock. The project aims to create an open-source, peer-reviewed, sidechain-agnostic framework for developing Bitcoin-based programs.
Cointelegraph spoke exclusively to RootstockLabs chief scientist Sergio Demian Lerner to unpack details of the BitVMX project and its potential impact on the Bitcoin ecosystem. The project is set to be officially unveiled at the Bitcoin++ Austin conference along with the publication of its white paper.
Lerner’s research into the mining patterns employed by Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto has been widely cited by news outlets and researchers. Source: Bitslog
Lerner is best known for his research exploring patterns to identify what hardware Satoshi Nakamoto used to mine in the early days of Bitcoin, which Cointelegraph Magazine covered in 2021.
BitVMX wants to power programs on Bitcoin
On a technical level, BitVMX allows funds to be locked in an unspent transaction output (UTXO) with a spend condition that depends on the result of a program’s execution. Lerner said a program must be defined when the UTXO is created, but the program input does not need to be.
The scientist said the possibilities of the framework are broad and have the potential to power a variety of applications and functions:
“The incredible thing about BitVMX is that it essentially allows developers to run anything on Bitcoin, even Linux.”
Lerner said that BitVMX could power bridges to Bitcoin that allow the unilateral flow of BTC between the main chain and sidechains like Rootstock, where it can then be used to interact with decentralized applications (DApps) and other smart contracts.
Related: Bitcoin needs DeFi, consumer apps for mass adoption — L2 devs
Another use case would be building aggregator oracles that collect and verify data from various sources and store them on the…
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