C API — `bitcoinkernel.h`¶

The C API provides a stable "C" interface to Bitcoin Core's consensus engine.

C Header API Source¶

License: MIT

Pointers returned by *_create() functions are owned by the caller and must be freed with the corresponding *_destroy() function.
const pointer return values are views — they are unowned and valid only for the lifetime of the parent object.
A function that accepts pointer arguments makes no assumptions about argument lifetimes. Arguments may be freed immediately after the function returns.
Reference-counted types (btck_Transaction, btck_Block) use *_copy() to increment the reference count rather than performing a deep copy.

Functions return NULL on allocation failure or invalid input.
Script verification returns 1 on success, 0 on failure, and writes a btck_ScriptVerifyStatus error code to an optional out-parameter.
Fatal and flush errors are delivered asynchronously through kernel notification callbacks.

Always check return values. Passing NULL where a non-null pointer is required is undefined behaviour.