BTQ Core Documentation
The quantum-resistant Bitcoin fork with Dilithium integration
Welcome to BTQ Core
BTQ Core is a quantum-resistant fork of Bitcoin Core that integrates the Dilithium post-quantum cryptographic signature scheme. This makes BTQ transactions secure against future quantum computer attacks.
BTQ uses CRYSTALS-Dilithium, a NIST-standardized post-quantum signature scheme (FIPS 204), providing 128-bit quantum security.
Why Quantum Resistance?
Current Bitcoin uses ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) which could be broken by sufficiently powerful quantum computers using Shor's algorithm. BTQ Core replaces this with Dilithium, a lattice-based signature scheme selected by NIST for post-quantum standardization.
Key Differences from Bitcoin
| Aspect | Bitcoin | BTQ |
|---|---|---|
| Signature Algorithm | ECDSA (secp256k1) | Dilithium2 |
| Public Key Size | 33 bytes | 1,312 bytes |
| Signature Size | ~71 bytes | 2,420 bytes |
| Transaction Size | ~250 bytes | ~3,824 bytes |
| Quantum Resistant | No | Yes |
| Default Port | 8333 | 9333 |
| Address Prefix | 1..., 3..., bc1... | X..., qbtc1q..., qbtc1z... (Dilithium P2MR) |
Key Features
- Dilithium Signatures: NIST-standardized quantum-resistant signatures
- New Script Opcodes:
OP_CHECKSIGDILITHIUMfor Dilithium verification - Wallet Support: Generate, store, and use Dilithium keys
- Full RPC Interface: Complete API for Dilithium operations
- Backward Compatible: ECDSA still supported for legacy transactions
Quick Start
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/btq-ag/btq-core.git
cd btq-core
./autogen.sh && ./configure && make -j$(nproc)
# Start regtest node
./src/btqd -regtest -daemon
# Create wallet and generate Dilithium address
./src/btq-cli -regtest createwallet "test"
./src/btq-cli -regtest -rpcwallet="test" getnewdilithiumaddressDocumentation
What is BTQ?
Overview of Bitcoin Quantum
Blockchain Basics
How blockchains work
The Quantum Threat
Why quantum resistance matters
Consensus & PoW
How BTQ achieves agreement
Getting Started
Build and run BTQ Core
Dilithium Overview
Our quantum-resistant signatures
Wallet Guide
Using Dilithium addresses
Architecture
Technical deep dive
Design Rationale
Why BTQ makes the choices it does
BTQ vs Bitcoin
Comprehensive parameter comparison
Network Economics
Emission schedule and fee market
Security Model
Threat analysis and defense layers
Scalability
Performance and throughput analysis
Transaction Lifecycle
From creation to confirmation
Glossary
Key terms and definitions
Mining Difficulty
Empirical study of difficulty retargeting & fork resolution
Current Status
| Phase | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | ✅ Complete | Core cryptography wrappers |
| Phase 2 | ✅ Complete | Address & script system |
| Phase 3 | ✅ Complete | Wallet integration |
| Phase 4 | ⚠️ Partial | Transaction signing & consensus |
| Phase 5 | ⚠️ Partial | Network & mempool policy |
| Phase 6 | ✅ Complete | RPC & user interface |
BTQ Core is under active development. Mainnet deployment requires completion of Phase 4 (block validation) work.
RPC Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
getnewdilithiumaddress | Generate new Dilithium address |
signtransactionwithdilithium | Sign transaction with Dilithium |
signmessagewithdilithium | Sign message with Dilithium |
verifydilithiumsignature | Verify Dilithium signature |
importdilithiumkey | Import Dilithium private key |
Resources
- BTQ Whitepaper — Empirical Behavior of the BTQ Protocol (PDF)
- GitHub Repository
- Bitcoin Quantum Website
- Dilithium Specification
- NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography
License
BTQ Core is released under the MIT license.