bitcoin-dev

A Fool's Errand or should I try?

A Fool's Errand or should I try?

Original Postby Ali Sherief

Posted on: May 5, 2024 11:55 UTC

To address the challenge of fetching previous input addresses and amounts from transactions, a detailed examination of the current methods and their limitations is essential.

The present technique relies on using the getblock RPC call with a verbosity level of 3. While effective in retrieving raw transactions, this method has significant drawbacks, such as the need for extensive data processing and the potential for inefficiency due to the volume of information generated.

The core issue lies in the independence of the decoderawtransaction function from the blocks stored on the disk. To accurately trace each input back to its origin within the blocks.dat folder requires manual modifications. This entails creating a "prevout" structure similar to what is seen in the getblock command, a process that is both complex and time-consuming. Moreover, situations where the transaction output (txo) does not exist in the blockchain further complicate matters, as it would render the creation of a corresponding prevout structure impossible.

Given these challenges, the proposal for a new RPC call, tentatively named getfulltransaction, emerges as a viable solution. This new functionality aims to streamline the retrieval of transaction details, specifically targeting the acquisition of previous input addresses and amounts without the need for cumbersome workarounds. By introducing this dedicated RPC call, developers can bypass the hurdles associated with the current method, fostering a more efficient and user-friendly environment for managing and analyzing blockchain data.