An anonymous Bitcoin user recently wrote the full text of the U.S. Constitution onto the Bitcoin blockchain. The transaction was approximately 44.4 KB and incurred a fee of about $83.41. Because the inscribed content can remain on the blockchain indefinitely, this action quickly attracted attention within the crypto community.
How is the engraving done?
This transaction used Bitcoin's OP_RETURN field. This field allows users to include information in transactions. Larger data writes became possible after the relevant byte limit was removed last year.
Both the cost and the size are considerable.
According to block explorer data, this transaction is significantly larger than a typical transfer. The article compares the two transactions, showing that a transfer of approximately 0.01 BTC at the same time is only 227 bytes and has a significantly lower fee.
- Inscribed content: Full text of the United States Constitution
- Transaction size: Approximately 44.4 KB
- Transaction fee: Approximately US$83.41
Controversy resurfaces over Bitcoin inscriptions
The article notes that Bitcoin inscriptions are not a new phenomenon. The Ordinals craze in 2023 boosted on-chain activity and brought block space and transaction fees back into discussion. Supporters argue that it expands Bitcoin's uses, while opponents worry that it deviates from the network's original purpose of payment.
