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Is there a google like search engine which can search for any text that is included with a bitcoin transaction? As I understand it each transaction includes 80 characters of text as well.

Update

It is not possible to search the blockchain for text in an easy way

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    It isn't true that every transaction contains 80 bytes of text; this is an optional feature and used only occasionally. If you are running a full node such as Bitcoin Core, you could simply grep the block files; then the harder part is identifying the start and end of the transaction and computing its id.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Sep 1, 2014 at 19:29
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    There are several methods of sending text in bitcoin transactions. It is not nescessarily 80 characters. One method most often used, is to have a multisig transaction, where some of the publickeys contain the text, instead of being a valid public key.
    – Willem Hengeveld
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 7:37
  • Would it be useful to make a search engine for all of this? Maybe I should do that
    – yazz.com
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 8:24
  • It is possible to make search engine. But i doubt that it would be useful for something.
    – amaclin
    Commented Sep 8, 2014 at 11:31
  • What about for searching through all those Digital Contract type uses of the Blockchain? I would have thought that was the killer app for Bitcoin?
    – yazz.com
    Commented Sep 8, 2014 at 11:46

4 Answers 4

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+100

If we're talking about smart contracts and such (which we are) then there's no text to search from contracts and such. The digital contract functionality doesn't work like Blockchain.info comments.

If you're going to use the Blockchain to lodge a patent for example, you're not uploading the actual patent. A hash is being made of the time (ie perhaps the hash of block at that height) and a hash of the document, which is then concatenated and then hashed again. So at it's simplest it's:

hash( hash(Blockchain time data) + hash(Document))

Think of it like this: the patent is in an envelope. The envelope is sealed with wax and stamped with a stamp referencing:

  • proof of time and
  • proof of envelope's contents

The text inside the envelope isn't searchable, whilst Blockchain.info comments (analogous to post-it notes in an accounting ledger) might be, though the usefulness is not the same.

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There is funny site http://bitcoinstrings.com/ I am not sure that it is what are you looking for but just in case...

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  • Yes its funny. But it still doesn't let you search the blockchain
    – yazz.com
    Commented Sep 1, 2014 at 11:34
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    Are you interested in blockchain.info site messages? Try google advanced search like google.ru/search?q=clue+site:blockchain.info (this query for word "clue")
    – amaclin
    Commented Sep 1, 2014 at 13:13
  • No, I am interested in blockchain transaction messages, not site messages
    – yazz.com
    Commented Sep 3, 2014 at 10:54
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    In fact, transactions do not have text fields. But there are some ways to include arbitrary data (text, images) in transaction. Read this article righto.com/2014/02/ascii-bernanke-wikileaks-photographs.html
    – amaclin
    Commented Sep 3, 2014 at 15:23
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In fact that text is a blockchain.info extension not really present in the blockchain itself. I can't find any text search method in the query API.

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  • I believe you are right, this is not possible right now to search the blockchain.
    – yazz.com
    Commented Sep 1, 2014 at 7:34
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I found that smartbit.com.au allows you to search for text included in OP_RETURN outputs.

As an example, searching for "on brink" returns an Eternity Wall message that echos the coinbase of the genesis block.

enter image description here

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    While it is hard to give a more comprehensive answer to this question than what is given, I think it could be improved by providing an example for a successful search.
    – Murch ♦
    Commented Dec 20, 2017 at 23:40

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