Historical retrospective · Bitcoin
BIP 21 proposed a common way to encode Bitcoin payment requests
BIP 21 specifies a URI format for bitcoin payment links, including an address and optional amount or label fields.
A consistent link format can reduce manual copying and help wallets hand payment details to one another, though wallets still need safe confirmation screens.
The proposal illustrates how small interoperability standards can make a protocol easier to use without changing its consensus rules.
Payment URIs also show why user-interface conventions matter: a valid link should never replace checking the destination and amount.
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