Subject: [bitcoin-dev] Sending OP_RETURN via Bitcoin Lightning

From: Héctor José Cárdenas Pacheco<[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2021 06:54:30 -0300

Hello all,

I’ve been thinking about how OP_RETURN is being used to create and trade NFTs on Bitcoin (think RarePepes, SoG and other new ones) and was wondering if it’s possible to make transactions with this opcode via Lightning.

More specific questions could be:
Can opcodes like OP_RETURN be inside a channel’s opening or closing transaction?
If so, could that OP_RETURN change hands within that channel or network of channels?
If possible, could the OP_RETURN be divisible? Could one person send a piece of a OP_RETURN just like one can do right now on the primary ledger or would it need to maintain the OP_RETURN code intact?
I’m assuming that, if possible, this would need a protocol layer parallel to Bitcoin/Lightning that stores and reads all Bitcoin transactions and the ones which involve the node's channels as well as the ones with the OP_RETURN, just like CounterParty does right now with the primary ledger.

Thank in advance.
——
Héctor Cárdenas
@hcarpach