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I want to create and sign bitcoin transaction using only 'bitcoind' and 'bitcoin-cli'.

I can create a transaction using createrawtransaction RPC API, but signing it using 'signrawtransaction' fails.

UPDATE: I figured it out and answered myself below. Take care to have scriptPubKey correct and leave redeemScript empty for simple transactions.

The private key is not stored in bitcoind's built-in wallet. That is, private / public key pair was created by vanity utility (for example).

Setup

  • "from" address": 1AsJjnWg5QKBThM6mK9jZ8mmo6KUzDjRD (From_Addr_1As)
  • "to" address: 1Mu5S5fuztimKZizvYZjKwpYfM9ZFf7zmo (To_Addr_1Mu)
  • transaction that sent funds to From_Addr_1As: 4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e (Prev_Tx_4325)
  • new transaction is New_Tx

Funding

The transaction (Prev_Tx_4325) sent 0.00187 BTC to From_Addr_1As: https://blockchain.info/tx/4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e - also seen in the address transaction view https://blockchain.info/address/1AsJjnWg5QKBThM6mK9jZ8mmo6KUzDjRD

I want to send 0.00186 BTC from From_Addr_1As to To_Addr_1Mu. The 0.00001 BTC fee included.

Bash Shell: Create Raw Transaction (successful):

$ ./bitcoin-cli -rpcpassword=123456 createrawtransaction '[{"txid":"4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e","vout":0}]' '{"1AsJjnWg5QKBThM6mK9jZ8mmo6KUzDjRD":0.00186}'

Command output:

01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba525430000000000ffffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000

Bash Shell: Decode Raw Transaction (successful):

Pay attention: 'scriptSig' is empty!

$ ./bitcoin-cli -rpcpassword=123456 decoderawtransaction 01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba525430000000000ffffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000

Command output:

{ "txid" : "b1ff3da36a6d7c3aaaee41428a7e239baa6243e37d7e1db60ea022d9f994ec52", "version" : 1, "locktime" : 0, "vin" : [ { "txid" : "4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e", "vout" : 0, "scriptSig" : { "asm" : "", "hex" : "" }, "sequence" : 4294967295 } ], "vout" : [ { "value" : 0.00186000, "n" : 0, "scriptPubKey" : { "asm" : "OP_DUP OP_HASH160 01ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e0171 OP_EQUALVERIFY OP_CHECKSIG", "hex" : "76a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac", "reqSigs" : 1, "type" : "pubkeyhash", "addresses" : [ "1AsJjnWg5QKBThM6mK9jZ8mmo6KUzDjRD" ] } } ] }

Bash Shell: Sign Raw Transaction (successful):

Pay attention:

  • scriptPubKey is copied from the Prev_Tx_4325
  • redeemScript is left empty string: ""

./bitcoin-cli -rpcpassword=123456 signrawtransaction "01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba525430000000000ffffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000" '[{"txid":"4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e","vout":0,"scriptPubKey":"76a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac","redeemScript":""}]' '["5J34hLVaP9UAj4BcdbgYoPia93zzDfo8JhTzUN2tf8qqRiZqtjY"]' "ALL"

Command output:

{ "hex" : "01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba52543000000008a47304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a014104aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4affffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000", "complete" : true }

Bash Shell: Decode signed transaction (successful):

$ ./bitcoin-cli -rpcpassword=123456 decoderawtransaction 01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba52543000000008a47304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a014104aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4affffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000

Command output:

{ "txid" : "267550934eb413a623459464d88cb14ff47fa192df720cf8485b590812db8fba", "version" : 1, "locktime" : 0, "vin" : [ { "txid" : "4325a5db66cbc8e9ff6a585cd0e8a2288ea74f9b46d2972b93f63bbb7d09a23e", "vout" : 0, "scriptSig" : { "asm" : "304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a01 04aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4a", "hex" : "47304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a014104aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4a" }, "sequence" : 4294967295 } ], "vout" : [ { "value" : 0.00186000, "n" : 0, "scriptPubKey" : { "asm" : "OP_DUP OP_HASH160 01ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e0171 OP_EQUALVERIFY OP_CHECKSIG", "hex" : "76a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac", "reqSigs" : 1, "type" : "pubkeyhash", "addresses" : [ "1AsJjnWg5QKBThM6mK9jZ8mmo6KUzDjRD" ] } } ] }

Bash Shell: Send Raw Transaction (successful):

./bitcoin-cli -rpcpassword=123456 sendrawtransaction 01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba52543000000008a47304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a014104aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4affffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000 267550934eb413a623459464d88cb14ff47fa192df720cf8485b590812db8fba

Command output: No output on command success!

Conclusion :-)

By explaining and formulating the question I found a solution. It is really worth asking on StackExchange, and I got to the answer by myself!

UPDATE: Thanks for comments - I answered myself below. Ensure scriptPubKey is correct and leave redeemScript empty for simple transactions.

Improve this question
4
  • 2
    What is the question?
    – Pieter Wuille
    Commented Aug 9, 2014 at 18:14
  • 2
    Ask the question and then answer it by yourself instead of putting the question and the answer in the "question"
    – Jan Moritz
    Commented Aug 9, 2014 at 20:07
  • As @JanMoritzLindemann already suggested, your post doesn't fit our format. Please separate it into a question and an answer. You can find a visual explanation of the Stackexchange format in our About.
    – Murch ♦
    Commented Aug 10, 2014 at 1:31
  • why is your vout->value in btc while mine shows in satoshis ?
    – user10603
    Commented Sep 2, 2017 at 12:17

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

Answering my own question

Two things basically got into way of creating and signing a raw bitcoin transaction using 'bitcoind' program:

  • Leaving 'redeemScript' to be the empty string
    • It has to be empty for simple bitcoin transaction!
  • Using single-quote mark (') to make the bitcoin RPC call looking nice and not messy.

That's all.

Improve this answer
1
  • when i do sendrawtransaction 01000000013ea2097dbb3bf6932b97d2469b4fa78e28a2e8d05c586affe9c8cb66dba52543000000008a47304402206f40f4eb8c6cab7c6dd45a132d437e736a6a0dddfb2b78b10e6efbcaf61592f602200d329a57d7a0c969cc349f41852da4ba1a3bc2245e656bdd41780455b97bf84a014104aa49fbe6608076318ff09171e3c2b4a2effa52d53a417371140642996693ae3ac53ce300fff7fef650d0a2418b087a237aa6838eed3bdfad0ec0069df7209f4affffffff0190d60200000000001976a91401ddbca1a39b60b54fb671297a4a20a7681e017188ac00000000 i get error code: -25 error message: Missing inputs
    – user10603
    Commented Sep 2, 2017 at 4:37

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