detection of bug With the v.30 version of Bitcoin Core reported on January 5, funds could be lost after migrating old wallets to the new format, making the use of different clients to connect to the Bitcoin network once again controversial.
However, despite this discussion, the data does not reflect the immediate reaction on the part of Bitcoin node brokers.
According to statistics, the evolution of Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knot Operators There is no evidence of a direct impact attributable to the eventHowever, operators of both software have recently recovered.
Explaining the growth of Knots over time
The picture changes as you expand the time axis. According to a report by CriptoNoticias, the usage of Bitcoin knots showed sustained growth throughout 2025.
For example, as of November last year, Core v.30 had about 2,500 nodes, accounting for 10.66% of the total at the time, while Knots v.20 was in third place with about 2,200 nodes. This corresponds to 9.35%.
As of this writing, that number has increased significantly. Core v.30 maintains its leadership, currently at around 4,000 nodes, accounting for nearly 16% of the total. This represents an increase of approximately 60% compared to November.
knot v.20, Currently in 2nd place by versionadded approximately 3,200 nodes, nearly 13% of the total, and an increase of nearly 45% compared to November’s record.
Although a bug was recently discovered in v.30, the data suggests adoption of Knots. more responsive to cumulative dynamics rather than a particular reaction to a particular event.
Still, Bitcoin Core has a concentration of 19,283 nodes out of a total of 24,717 nodes, considering all its versions. This corresponds to approximately 78% of the nodes visible on the network. Bitcoin Knots, on the other hand, brings together nearly 5,400 nodes. This equates to approximately 22%.
Background of discussions between clients
The distribution of nodes suggests continuity rather than discontinuity. To understand why some node brokers choose Knots, it is important to consider the underlying argument.
The Knots client enforces stricter rules for certain uses that are considered “spam.” Adding information that takes up space in network files without a clear monetary purpose.
This difference is reflected in things like the opinion of Knots’ recent node operator, an X user identified as Bitcoin_To_The_Oblivion.
According to him, even after the advent of “malware” (which he calls Core v.30), the growth of unnecessary data on the network did not decrease significantly, in fact, it Large-scale records began to appear, where previously there were almost no.
This stance was accompanied by a graph showing Bitcoin’s UTXO pool size over time.
This image shows a new increase recorded in December, after a noticeable decrease in November.
Increasing the size of the UTXO set is data load higher than node need to be stored and processedFor Notts defenders, this phenomenon reinforces the idea that certain recent policies have failed to curb data accumulation without a clear monetary function.
In his opinion, this not only made Bitcoin more vulnerable to spam, but also affected its monetary nature.
In a critical tone, the user argued that the adoption of Knots and more restrictive rules was, from his point of view, a form of resistance against decisions that harmed the network.
