Bitcoin Core 28.0 Released

Users encountering bugs are encouraged to report them on the project's GitHub issue tracker at GitHub. For those looking to upgrade from an older version, it's recommended to shut down the existing version and replace the files with the new version. This release supports direct upgrades from versions that have reached their end of life (EOL), though users may experience delays if a data directory migration is necessary. Compatibility has been confirmed for operating systems using Linux Kernel 3.17+, macOS 11.0+, and Windows 7 or newer, with Bitcoin Core also expected to function on most other UNIX-like systems.

Significant changes in this release include the addition of Testnet4/BIP94 support, moving the default data directory on Windows, and updates to JSON-RPC 2.0 support. The removal of the libbitcoin-consensus library, noted in the previous version, has been implemented. Network changes enhance how Bitcoin Core listens for P2P and Tor connections, including modifications to binding behavior and the introduction of UNIX domain sockets for certain configurations. A range of improvements to mempool policy and transaction handling aims to improve network efficiency and fee estimation.

The release also brings updates to the wallet functionality, including conflict detection with mempool transactions and the addition of a max_tx_weight option for RPCs related to transaction creation. A new createwalletdescriptor RPC and changes to sendall and bumpfee RPCs reflect ongoing development to enhance user control over transactions and wallet management.

Moreover, adjustments to the GUI and low-level system changes have been made, focusing on security, usability, and performance. Notably, block files are now XOR'd by default to prevent readability by non-Bitcoin Core software without the correct XOR key. Furthermore, the chainstate database flushing process during block pruning has been optimized to speed up initial block download times.

Contributions to this release come from a diverse group of developers and community members, whose efforts continue to make Bitcoin Core a robust and evolving digital currency platform.