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Add release artifacts documentation page #1221

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Add release artifacts documentation page
PauloAAlmeida Feb 10, 2026
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Address review feedback
PauloAAlmeida Feb 11, 2026
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doc: update -debug description
PauloAAlmeida Feb 25, 2026
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29 changes: 29 additions & 0 deletions _posts/en/pages/2026-02-10-release-artifacts.md
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---
title: Release Artifacts
name: release-artifacts
type: pages
layout: page
lang: en
permalink: /en/release-artifacts/
version: 1
---

Bitcoin Core release files are hosted at [https://bitcoincore.org/bin/](https://bitcoincore.org/bin/) and distributed via torrent.

## Build Suffixes

- **Standard Binaries** (`.tar.gz`, `.zip`, `-setup.exe`): Production-ready binaries for general use.
- **`-debug`**: Includes symbols for backtrace generation. Larger file size and reduced performance.

@willcl-ark willcl-ark Feb 25, 2026

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Sorry, but I still don't think this is exactly correct.

In the guix builds we produce a single set of bins, using -O2 -g, then post-process them using split-debug.sh. This splits off the symbols into a standalone dbg file. The bins are then stripped, and two archives are created, one with the binaries, and one with the debug symbols.

I don't think it's accurate ∴ to say that the debug bins have "reduced performance", as they're the same bins; the debug archive only contains the symbols IIUC.

cc @fanquake

@fanquake fanquake Feb 25, 2026

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@willcl-ark That is correct.

@PauloAAlmeida PauloAAlmeida Feb 25, 2026

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Thanks for the clarification. Updated the -debug description.

@PauloAAlmeida PauloAAlmeida Feb 28, 2026

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@fanquake would you please check if this is accurate? Let me know if you need any adjustments.

@PauloAAlmeida PauloAAlmeida Mar 10, 2026

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@willcl-ark please let me know if you need any adjustments. Thank you for your review.

- **`-unsigned`**: Raw Guix build outputs. Used to audit reproducibility against signed releases.
- **`-codesigning`**: Intermediate artifacts for macOS/Windows signing ceremonies. Not for end-users.
- **Source**: `bitcoin-<version>.tar.gz` (no platform string). For manual compilation.

## Verification Files

| File | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `SHA256SUMS` | Hashes of all release artifacts. |
| `SHA256SUMS.asc` | Detached GPG signatures from trusted signers. |
| `SHA256SUMS.ots` | OpenTimestamps proof. |

For step-by-step verification instructions, see the [download page](/en/download/).