Bitcoin Core Releases New Mainnet Version For Testing, Reveals Key Features & Bug Fixes
Bitcoin Core developers have released version 31.1rc1, a new release candidate for testing on the mainnet before its official launch. The update focuses on privacy, performance, and reliability for node operators and developers.
The key highlight is a patch for a privacy issue in PrivateBroadcast, which could inadvertently expose a user’s IP address. The fix ensures private transaction broadcasting is more secure.
Additional improvements include enhanced transaction validation, more streamlined blockchain database management to reduce storage growth, and smarter network behavior for private broadcasts and proxy settings.
Wallet enhancements optimize migration checks and transaction input size estimation, improving accuracy and reliability. MuSig2 support is strengthened by rejecting empty public key lists with invalid keys, enhancing security against signature aggregation errors.
Developer-friendly fixes include cleaned-up testing tools, eliminated race conditions, enhanced fuzz testing, updated build systems, and added tests for failed writes before saving settings.
Bitcoin Core 31.1rc1 is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Users upgrading from very old versions may need extra time to migrate data. The developers urge the community to test the release and report bugs to help stabilize the software.