The rawtx Golang module helps you (and me) to answer questions about raw Bitcoin transactions, their inputs, outputs, and scripts. I use the rawtx package for example in my Bitcoin Transaction Monitor and transactionfee.info projects.
The package has a high unit test coverage (> 90%) and is battle-tested (all mainnet Bitcoin transactions have been analyzed at least once). However, I’d strongly advise to not use it in a consensus-critical environment.
Whenever you, an exchange or somebody else sends a Bitcoin transaction, it gets broadcast to all nodes in the Bitcoin network. Each broadcast transaction is represented by a dot on the Bitcoin Transaction Monitor scatterplot. The transactions are arranged by the time of arrival at my Bitcoin node and its feerate (fee per size). The plot reveals activity patterns of wallets, exchanges, and users transacting on the Bitcoin network.
To fully understand the rationale behind the current state of Bitcoin development, knowledge about historical events is essential. I created an open-source project containing the data for a timeline of historical developments in Bitcoin. Most data points are adopted from a talk John Newbery gave on the History and Philosophy of Bitcoin Development. I’ve used this timeline in my blog post The Incomplete History of Bitcoin Development.
