Bitcoin Core 28.1 Release Overview

Bitcoin Core, the leading implementation of the Bitcoin protocol, has released version 28.1 with critical updates, bug fixes, and performance enhancements. This guide covers the release notes, upgrade process, compatibility, and notable changes.

Key Features and Improvements

Enhanced P2P Networking

• Dynamic Onion Port Adjustment: When using -port, the default onion port now derives as port + 1 (e.g., port 5555 → onion port 5556), resolving conflicts in multi-node setups. Manual torrc configurations may require updates to HiddenServicePort entries.
• Addrman Internal ID Update: Changed to int64_t for improved scalability (#30568).

Security Fixes

• Key Management: Secret data is now securely cleared in DecodeExtKey (#31166).

Build System Optimizations

• Mingw Cross-Compilation: Resolved library conflicts with -gcc-posix flag (#31013).
• NetBSD Compatibility: Fixed CXXFLAGS for smoother builds (#31502).

Testing and Documentation

• Test Syncing: Added missing sync in feature_fee_estimation.py (#31016).
• Fuzzing Enhancements: Included cstdlib for better FuzzedDataProvider coverage (#31448).
• Config Documentation: Added testnet4 section headers (#31007).

How to Upgrade to Bitcoin Core 28.1

1. Shut Down Older Versions: Ensure complete shutdown (may take minutes).

2. Install/Replace Binaries:

   • Windows: Run the installer.
   • macOS: Replace /Applications/Bitcoin-Qt.
   • Linux: Update bitcoind/bitcoin-qt.

3. macOS Self-Signing: Required for execution:

   xattr -d com.apple.quarantine bitcoin-* && codesign -s - bitcoin-*

👉 Explore Bitcoin Core 28.1 binaries

Compatibility

Supported OS:

• Linux (Kernel 3.17+)
• macOS (11.0+)
• Windows (7+)

Unsupported Systems: Not recommended due to limited testing.

FAQs

Why does Bitcoin Core 28.1 adjust onion ports dynamically?

To avoid port collisions in multi-node setups using -port without -bind.

How do I manually configure Tor for Bitcoin Core 28.1?

Update HiddenServicePort in torrc to reflect the new onion port (e.g., 127.0.0.1:5556).

Is upgrading from EOL versions supported?

Yes, but migration may take longer if data directories need updates.

👉 Download Bitcoin Core 28.1 now

Credits

Contributors: fanquake, Hennadii Stepanov, laanwj, and others.
Translations: Transifex.