Bitcoin Forum

Hello,

I want to write some software to analyze/visualize transactions performed with bitcoin.

The bitcoin software is too complex, instead an easy to use binary format is desired.

This easy binary format will be explained below:

The file consists out of sequential bytes stored next to each other as follows:

Starting with a version number of the format (this will be version 1):

Version uint16

Followed by a block (which represents information from the transaction-block-chain):

BlockNumber uint64
BlockYear uint8
BlockMonth uint8
BlockDay uint8
BlockHour uint8
BlockMinute uint8
BlockSecond uint8

Overhead analysis:

Size in bytes of BlockStructure = 6 bytes + 8 bytes = 14 bytes

100 years * 365.25 days * 24 hours * 60 minutes = 52596000 minutes, 52.596.000 minutes

52596000 divided by an average of 10 minutes per block = 5259600 blocks per century, 5.259.600 blocks per century.

Overhead for above data structure is: 14 bytes multiplied with 5259600 blocks per century = 73634400 bytes of overhead per century, 73.634.400 bytes of overhead per century.

73634400 bytes divided by 1024 for kilobytes divided by another 1024 for megabytes = 70.223236083984375 MB or approximately 71 MB.

Followed by the bitcoin addresses used in the transactions:

BitcoinAddressSize uint16
BitcoinAddressCount uint32
BitcoinAddress0 uint8 x BitCountAddressSize
BitcoinAddress1 uint8 x BitCountAddressSize
BitcoinAddress2 uint8 x BitCountAddressSize
BitcoinAddress3 uint8 x BitCountAddressSize
BitcoinAddress4 uint8 x BitCountAddressSize
etc... up to:
BitcoinAddress(Count-1)

Followed by the transactions which use the bitcoin address indexes from above:

TransactionCount uint32
Transaction0FromBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction0ToBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction0Value uint64
Transaction1FromBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction1ToBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction1Value uint64
Transaction2FromBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction2ToBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction2Value uint64
Transaction3FromBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction3ToBitcoinAddressIndex uint32
Transaction3Value uint64
etc up to
Transaction(Count-1)

All integers are in little endian format (as used by intel processors).

The file is then made up out of the blocks above as follows:

Version
Block
BitcoinAddresses
Transactions
Block
BitcoinAddresses
Transactions
Block
BitcoinAddresses
Transactions
Block
BitcoinAddresses
Transactions
Block
BitcoinAddresses
Transactions
And so forth...

If the bitcoin developers are interested in supporting this easy binary format then let me know if you will program it yourself, or if you want me to program an easy to use c++ class for supporting this easy binary format.

I will then provide at the very least output functions, and probably input functions as well in case others want to use it as well.

What I would need you the bitcoin developers to do is "extract the information from the complex bitcoin format/database" and "channel it into this easy to use binary format" by using the c++ class.

Once such a feature is present in either the bitcoin client, or an external tool, I can start my analysis/visualization attempts ! ;) :) =D

Bye,
  Skybuck.

You could write a new DataStore for BitcoinJ and do this yourself, takes about a day. http://code.google.com/p/bitcoinj/

Take a look at the DiskDataStore example, it's pretty close to what you want.

I don't want java on my systems because of security concerns, sorry.

Security concerns?

If you are worrying about malicious web apps, just don't run them when asked.

Bitcoin transaction do not have a "from" address - they have inputs (which themselves may have had a to address in the previous output).

Exploits, google it.

The "to" from a previous block is the "from" in a next block.

Google "e-mail system", which was based on "mail system" in hospitals.

There's  tool that will download the blockchain to a SQL database.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38246.0

Not exactly what you're looking for but it's in C++.

I will also explain why I believe bitcoin is currently too complex:

1. Berkeley db is not future compatible, which means two database modules would be needed to load the old format and convert it to the new, talk about major overhead ! ;)

2. Berkeley db version probably not supported in Delphi, maybe other languages too, this makes interfacing with berkeley db impossible, unless big headers converted.

3. Berkeley db api's might also change a lot, this is already indicated by change history, many changes.

4. All other stuff, like http, json, etc waaaayyy too complex and probably bug/error prone, not to mention slow ?!

5. Building berkeley db a little bit problematic, but still doable.

6. Berkeley db seems c++ only for now, yes there might be python or whatever language support available, but for which version ? and will they be maintained ?!? I'd bet money on no.

Instead maintaining your own binary format has major adventages, since bitcoin is write/read-once only (?!), I see no reason to use a database at all, I have yet to read a reason why a database is necessary at all ?!?

Plus I hate databases, I hate sql, and they get stolen all the time, and I am not even going to start about "sql injections" ! gjez... That people/programmers still use SQL is pretty ridicilous especially for websites, it's a hack waiting to happen, but I can imagine SQL to be handy for complex queries, but gjez, don't attach it to the internet !

It will be must amazing to see bitcoin burn in flames when SQL hacks start to happen.

If I am going to invest time into bitcoin I want it to be binary and secure only. That means no bug prone parsers, bug prone script languages, and definetly no javascript and all that security crap.

Even c/c++ is already pushing it on the security front.

Do yourself a favor and dump all insecure technology, before a major bitcoin disaster happens.

This is an open protocol and not some bank protocol which is closed.

No it's open. Therefore it most be 1.000.000 times as secure as banks.

All dutch banks got robbed for millions of dollars the last few days, so even their protocol are flawed.

Can you imagine with will happen with a world wide insecure bitcoin systems ?!?

I see many hackers getting a big boner !

As a matter of fact, I am spot on !

One of the bitcoin exchanges already got hacked !

And the bitcoin market plumpeted !

Stop writing shit, open your eyes, and start acting !

If you don't know how to program in binary only, then stop programming at all.

And for those that don't know what "binary programming" is, it means:

It means everything is checkable by the programmer in binary via debuggers:

data, variables, instructions, everything gets directly translated, from source code to binary, instructions etc.

Not some script crap.

Bye,
  Skybuck.