Bitcoin smart contract development sees a major breakthrough. Researchers have recently released Bithoven, a high-level imperative programming language specifically designed for Bitcoin smart contracts. The language compiles developer-written code into native Bitcoin script, supporting three compilation targets: Legacy, SegWit, and Taproot, effectively solving the difficulty of understanding and writing raw Bitcoin scripts. Bithoven provides traditional programming language features like if/else statements and return syntax, and includes a built-in type safety system supporting booleans, signatures, strings, and numbers to prevent runtime errors. Additionally, the language contains built-in keywords for time locks and cryptographic operations. Developers can experience this tool through an online IDE in their browser. As an open-source project, Bithoven’s release offers Bitcoin developers a more friendly programming experience, potentially lowering the barrier to entry for Bitcoin smart contract development and driving innovation in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
