<blockquote>
  <p>If that is the case, what is the need of a black hole address like the bitcoin eater? Couldn't bitcoins be provably "destroyed" simply using such an unspendable script transaction output?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There is no need for addresses like the Bitcoin eater, but it is far easier to send Bitcoin to burn addresses than it is to create provably unspendable outputs. This is because most wallet software do not have the functionality to create outputs that are not P2PKH or P2SH, so it is more difficult to create the provably unspendable outputs.</p>

<p>However if you do want to burn some coins, you should use provably unspendable outputs as these do not bloat he UTXO set and there is not a no possibility that someone can get those coins (the burn addresses technically have a private key so someone could in theory get those coins by figuring out the private key).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T10:33:41.620Z
Ah so purely convenience, no technical reasons?
meshcollider
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T17:02:02.610Z
Yes, pretty much.
Ava Chow
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T07:00:20.123Z
2017-07-02T07:00:20.123Z
Ava Chow
<p>On the <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Script</a> page of the Bitcoin Wiki, in the "Provably Unspendable/Prunable Outputs" section, it gives an example of a script which would make that output of the transaction unspendable. In the example they give,</p>

<p>txid <a href="https://blockchain.info/tx/eb31ca1a4cbd97c2770983164d7560d2d03276ae1aee26f12d7c2c6424252f29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">eb31ca1a4cbd97c2770983164d7560d2d03276ae1aee26f12d7c2c6424252f29</a></p>

<p>The unspendable output has zero value so the entire input amount goes to the miner of the block. </p>

<p>But if that output had been given some value of bitcoin, would I be correct in assuming those bitcoins would be provably unspendable forever? If that is the case, what is the need of a black hole address like <a href="https://blockchain.info/address/1BitcoinEaterAddressDontSendf59kuE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the bitcoin eater</a>? Couldn't bitcoins be provably "destroyed" simply using such an unspendable script transaction output?</p>

<p>Thanks </p>

<transactions><script><raw-transaction>
Unspendable outputs vs Black Hole address
meshcollider
# Unspendable outputs vs Black Hole address

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-02)

On the [Script](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Script) page of the Bitcoin Wiki, in the "Provably Unspendable/Prunable Outputs" section, it gives an example of a script which would make that output of the transaction unspendable. In the example they give,

txid [eb31ca1a4cbd97c2770983164d7560d2d03276ae1aee26f12d7c2c6424252f29](https://blockchain.info/tx/eb31ca1a4cbd97c2770983164d7560d2d03276ae1aee26f12d7c2c6424252f29)

The unspendable output has zero value so the entire input amount goes to the miner of the block.

But if that output had been given some value of bitcoin, would I be correct in assuming those bitcoins would be provably unspendable forever? If that is the case, what is the need of a black hole address like [the bitcoin eater](https://blockchain.info/address/1BitcoinEaterAddressDontSendf59kuE)? Couldn't bitcoins be provably "destroyed" simply using such an unspendable script transaction output?

Thanks

**Tags:** transactions, script, raw-transaction


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-07-02. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

> If that is the case, what is the need of a black hole address like the bitcoin eater? Couldn't bitcoins be provably "destroyed" simply using such an unspendable script transaction output?

There is no need for addresses like the Bitcoin eater, but it is far easier to send Bitcoin to burn addresses than it is to create provably unspendable outputs. This is because most wallet software do not have the functionality to create outputs that are not P2PKH or P2SH, so it is more difficult to create the provably unspendable outputs.

However if you do want to burn some coins, you should use provably unspendable outputs as these do not bloat he UTXO set and there is not a no possibility that someone can get those coins (the burn addresses technically have a private key so someone could in theory get those coins by figuring out the private key).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ah so purely convenience, no technical reasons?  
> **username_1**: Yes, pretty much.  

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