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In 2012, Colored Coins gained popularity, utilizing the Bitcoin blockchain to "color" specific bitcoins and distinguish them from others. The aim was to enable non-currency transactions using the Bitcoin infrastructure. Although Colored Coins didn't develop into an independent success, they inspired the creation of technologies widely used today. In 2017, the Segregated Witness (SegWit) upgrade activated, increasing block space to 4MB and enhancing transaction throughput. By 2018, developers gradually introduced the Lightning Network and sidechains, bringing Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions into the mainstream. The 2021 Taproot upgrade further enhanced Bitcoin's security, efficiency, and privacy. This year, the emergence of the BRC-20 protocol enriched Bitcoin's ecosystem. Within the current Bitcoin ecosystem, prominent protocols include sidechains and the Lightning Network. As Bitcoin's transaction volume grows, the primary development focus is on enabling greater transactions and ecosystem support. Whether through the Lightning Network, sidechains, or the RGB protocol, ongoing development of Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions aims to achieve compatibility with network security and scalability. While Bitcoin's ecosystem currently lags behind Ethereum in scale, its potential for growth remains significant as the highest-valued blockchain network. Foundational infrastructure within the Bitcoin ecosystem is progressively improving, attracting more projects and investor attention. Projects like OmniBOLT and the RGB protocol, built on the Lightning Network foundation, are poised to gain robust development capabilities. Some Bitcoin Layer 2 projects compatible with Ethereum will also benefit from this ecosystem. In the future, Bitcoin's ecosystem is set to accelerate in areas such as payments, DeFi, and NFTs, encompassing a broader range of use cases and users. |
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