Let’s talk a bit about BIPs

Lately, I’ve been hearing about some upcoming changes in Bitcoin Core, the main software that keeps the Bitcoin network running.

And that reminded me of a topic I’ve always found fascinating, but had somehow left aside for a while: BIPs, or Bitcoin Improvement Proposals.

In simple terms, BIPs are the mechanism developers use to propose improvements or new features for Bitcoin.

What’s interesting is that not all changes are the same. Some, like BIP347 (OP_CAT), aim to adjust the consensus rules, meaning the fundamental logic that defines how the network validates transactions (if I understood it correctly).

Others, like the change in Bitcoin Core v30 with OP_RETURN, don’t alter the consensus, they adjust the relay policy, which defines what kind of transactions nodes are willing to accept or share with each other (again, as far as I’ve learned so far).

What I really like about this topic is that it shows something that’s not often talked about: Bitcoin also evolves, but it does so through a unique governance model that keeps it decentralized and ensures that no change is taken lightly.

In the end, it’s apparently a long process of debate and review, where nothing seems to be imposed.

From what I’ve learned, an update can take a long time, it’s like a governance mechanism where all the different stakeholders (developers, node operators, miners… maybe users?) have to reach consensus. And if there’s no agreement, the network simply doesn’t update.

From what I understand, Bitcoin seems to evolve more through coordination than obligation. However, there can also be a kind of consensus pressure for those who decide not to update when an important change is adopted by most of the network. But well, those are topics we can keep exploring in future posts as we continue learning more about how all this works.

I want to keep learning more about this, how BIPs are born, who reviews them, and how it’s decided whether a change is activated or not. And I’d also like to understand whether, from my position as a merchant, it’s possible to start contributing ideas/proposals that could help businesses that use Bitcoin in the future.