Bitcoin core developer Luke Dashjr has raised concerns about the Runes protocol, arguing that it exploits a fundamental flaw in the blockchain network.
In a recent social media post, Dashjr highlighted the differences between Ordinal Inscriptions and the Runes protocol in their interaction with the network. While Ordinal Inscriptions take advantage of vulnerabilities within the blockchain, Dashjr explained that the Runes protocol operates within the network’s design flaws.
Dashjr described Ordinal Inscriptions as a 9-vector attack that exploits Bitcoin Core vulnerabilities, while Runes are a 5-vector attack that technically follows the network’s “rules.”
Ordinal Inscriptions are digital assets similar to NFTs that are engraved onto satoshis, the smallest units of Bitcoin. Their introduction last year marked Bitcoin’s entry into the NFT space and garnered significant interest within the crypto community.
On the other hand, Runes are fungible tokens that were launched after Bitcoin’s fourth halving. Following their introduction, these tokens caused network congestion and a spike in transaction fees.
Dashjr has been critical of both asset types, arguing that they go against Bitcoin’s core principles and contribute to blockchain spam. He previously labeled Ordinal Inscriptions as a bug and led efforts to address them through bug fixes.
To combat the impact of Runes transactions on the network, Dashjr proposed methods for filtering them. He recommended setting datacarriersize=0 in the bitcoin.conf file or its equivalent GUI option in Bitcoin Knots as a way to filter out Runes spam.
Despite Dashjr’s advice, it appears that miners are not adhering to these recommendations. Ocean Mining, a decentralized mining pool where Dashjr serves as CTO, recently mined its first post-halving block, with over 75% of transactions coming from the Runes protocol.
Some miners have justified processing Runes transactions by citing the lucrative revenue opportunities they offer.
Overall, Dashjr’s critique of the Runes protocol and his efforts to filter out its transactions highlight ongoing debates within the crypto community about the impact of different asset types on the blockchain network.
