Communities
Bitcoin development is collaborative. These are the places where protocol discussions happen, code gets reviewed, and developers connect.
Discussion Forums
Delving Bitcoin
Link: delvingbitcoin.org
The primary forum for technical Bitcoin discussions. Topics include protocol proposals, implementation details, research, and development. Created to replace the bitcoin-dev mailing list for long-form discussions.
Bitcoin StackExchange
Link: bitcoin.stackexchange.com
Q&A site for Bitcoin-specific technical questions. High-quality answers from experienced developers. Great for finding answers to specific implementation questions.
BitcoinTalk Development Forum
Link: bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=6.0
The original Bitcoin forum. The Development & Technical Discussion board still has activity, though most protocol discussion has moved to Delving Bitcoin.
Mailing Lists
bitcoin-dev
Link: groups.google.com/g/bitcoindev
The official mailing list for Bitcoin protocol development. BIP proposals, soft fork discussions, and protocol changes are announced here. Essential reading for protocol developers.
lightning-dev
Link: lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/lightning-dev
Technical discussion about Lightning Network protocol development, BOLT specifications, and implementation details.
IRC / Chat
Libera Chat IRC
Link: libera.chat (use any IRC client)
| Channel | Topic |
|---|---|
#bitcoin-core-dev | Bitcoin Core development |
#bitcoin-core-pr-reviews | PR review discussions |
#bitcoin-wizards | Advanced protocol research |
#lightning-dev | Lightning protocol development |
#bitcoin-builds | Build system and reproducible builds |
IRC is where real-time Bitcoin Core development happens. Many core contributors are active daily.
Nostr
Link: Various clients (nostr.com)
Growing Bitcoin developer community on Nostr. Follow Bitcoin developers, join topic-based groups, and discuss development. Many Bitcoiners are active on Nostr as it aligns with Bitcoin's decentralization values.
GitHub
Bitcoin Core
Link: github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin
Issues and pull requests are the primary venue for Bitcoin Core development. Watch the repository to follow development.
Bitcoin Improvement Proposals
Link: github.com/bitcoin/bips
All BIPs are tracked here. Read open PRs to follow proposed changes to the protocol.
Lightning Specifications
Link: github.com/lightning/bolts
BOLT specifications and discussions about Lightning Network protocol changes.
Newsletters & Blogs
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin Optech | Weekly newsletter on protocol development | bitcoinops.org |
| Bitcoin Dev Project | Developer onboarding resources | bitcoindevs.xyz |
| Chaincode Podcast | Interviews with Bitcoin developers | podcast.chaincode.com |
| The Bitcoin Development Podcast | Technical deep-dives | Various platforms |
Regional Communities
Bitcoin Guadalajara
Link: btcgdl.com
Local Bitcoin community in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Finding Local Communities
- Bitcoin meetup groups — Search meetup.com for your city
- Bitcoin conferences — Bitcoin++, Adopting Bitcoin, Baltic Honeybadger, TABConf
- Hackathons — Many conferences include developer hackathons
- PlanB Network — planb.network lists communities worldwide
Getting Involved
- Start by lurking — Read discussions, understand the culture
- Ask questions — StackExchange is the best place for specific questions
- Join PR Review Club — bitcoincore.reviews every Wednesday
- Attend a meetup — In-person connections are invaluable
- Contribute — Review code, write documentation, report bugs