A Python library for creating, analyzing, and understanding Bitcoin transactions and scripts with educational and research focus.
bitcoin_tools is a Python library created for teaching and researching Bitcoin transaction mechanics. It enables users to create, customize, and analyze Bitcoin transactions from scratch, including building custom scripts and managing keys. The library aims to demystify Bitcoin's technical details through accessible, well-documented code.
Bitcoin researchers, educators, and developers who want to understand or experiment with low-level transaction creation, script building, and UTXO analysis.
It provides a unique educational focus with tools for both learning and practical experimentation, offering granular control over transaction fields and scripts not typically available in higher-level Bitcoin libraries.
Python Bitcoin tools
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The library is explicitly designed with well-documented Python code to teach Bitcoin transaction mechanics, making complex concepts like script building accessible.
Allows creation of both scriptSig and scriptPubKey from human-readable strings using Script syntax, enabling unique transaction experiments for research.
Includes STATUS for statistical UTXO set analysis and tools for parsing hex-encoded transactions, providing detailed insights into Bitcoin data.
Enables customization of any transaction field, offering flexibility for testing non-standard scenarios not covered by higher-level libraries.
The disclaimer explicitly warns that improper use can create non-standard or non-spendable transactions, making it unsafe for mainnet use.
Separate DEPENDENCIES.md and INSTALL.md files indicate non-trivial installation and dependency management, which can deter quick experimentation.
Being Python-only, it may not integrate well with projects in other languages, and its ecosystem is smaller compared to multi-language Bitcoin tools.