Bitcoin Core to Unilaterally Remove OP_RETURN Limitations

May 6 news, Bitcoin Core developers have decided to remove the restrictions on transaction data in the next network upgrade, allowing more data to be included in a more efficient manner.

Bitcoin developer Greg Sanders announced on GitHub on May 5: "The next version of Bitcoin Core will by default relay and mine transactions with OP_RETURN outputs exceeding 80 bytes and allow any number of outputs."

In response, critics argue that the proposal was made without proper consensus procedures. Marty Bent, managing partner of Ten31 Fund, stated: "There is currently no consensus on the OP_RETURN issue."

Reportedly, OP_RETURN allows transaction outputs that store small amounts of data on the blockchain, which became popular during the Bitcoin ordinal craze in early 2024. Unlike regular transaction outputs, OP_RETURN outputs are unspendable and do not increase unspent transaction outputs (UTXO). (Cointelegraph)