TERM_DEF // UPGRADES_BIPS / BIP_360_PAY_TO_QUANTUM_RESISTANT_HASH_P2QRH_QUBIT
BIP 360 (PAY TO QUANTUM RESISTANT
HASH — P2QRH / QUBIT)
HASH — P2QRH / QUBIT)
BIP 360 (Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit). Draft post-quantum address type committing to PQ-safe pubkey hashes.
This page sits in the Upgrades & BIPs section — The proposal process and the major upgrades that shaped Bitcoin. Read on for what it is, why it exists, how it works under the hood, and what to watch out for.
This page sits in the Upgrades & BIPs section — The proposal process and the major upgrades that shaped Bitcoin. Read on for what it is, why it exists, how it works under the hood, and what to watch out for.
WHAT_BIP_360_PAY_TO_QUANTUM_RESISTANT_HASH_P2QRH_QUBIT_IS
BIP 360 (Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit) — at a glance
UPGRADES
BIP 360 — "Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit" is a proposal in the Post-Quantum family, first published in 2025 with status draft (fork/">soft fork). Draft post-quantum address type committing to PQ-safe pubkey hashes. Its technical mechanism: P2QRH — Pay-to-Quantum-Resistant-Hash using lattice or hash-based PQ scheme. migration target as quantum threats materialise
Why it exists
DESIGN
BIP 360 (Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit) exists to solve a specific problem: introduce a post-quantum-resistant address type. Without a written, numbered spec, every wallet and node implementer would interpret the requirement differently — and Bitcoin's value depends on every implementation agreeing exactly. BIP-360 is the single source of truth for this concern, so any new client built today can match the behaviour of every client built since 2025.
HOW_IT_WORKS
Mechanism
HOW IT WORKS
Mechanically, BIP-360 p2QRH — Pay-to-Quantum-Resistant-Hash using lattice or hash-based PQ scheme. Because this is a soft fork, old software accepts new behaviour without modification — but new behaviour is rejected if old software produces it. Adoption today: migration target as quantum threats materialise.
1. Author drafts BIP-360 against the BIP-2 template — abstract, motivation, specification, rationale.
2. The text + a reference implementation are posted on the bitcoin-dev list and as a PR to bitcoin/bips.
3. Reviewers tear it apart: ambiguities, security concerns, edge cases, interaction with prior BIPs.
4. Once stable, the BIP editor merges it; it gets a number (BIP-360) and the status "draft" or "proposed".
5. Implementations land in Bitcoin Core / wallets / other clients. For consensus changes: activation parameters chosen.
6. After deployment + adoption, BIP-360 is promoted to "final"; deprecated proposals get "replaced" or "withdrawn".
WORKED_EXAMPLE
BIP-360 — quick reference card
EXAMPLE
BIP number : 360
Title : Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit
Area : Post-Quantum
First published: 2025
Status : draft
Fork class : soft
Motivation : introduce a post-quantum-resistant address type.
Mechanism : P2QRH — Pay-to-Quantum-Resistant-Hash using lattice or hash-based PQ scheme.
Where it shows up : migration target as quantum threats materialise.
Read the spec : https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0360.mediawiki
KEY_PROPERTIES
OPT-IN
No authority can force a BIP on anyone. Adoption depends entirely on whether the change is genuinely useful.
NUMBERED
Stable numeric reference — BIP-360 means the same thing across every wallet, miner, and node that has read this spec.
BIP-360 is a soft fork — it changes (or proposes to change) the rules every full node enforces.
DRAFT
BIP-360 is still in draft — reference code may exist but mainnet adoption is partial or pending.
COMMON_PITFALLS
Things that catch people out
PITFALLS
- BIP-360 is still in DRAFT status — its details can change before activation, and any code built against it may need adjustment.
- BIP-360 is a soft fork — old clients accept new behaviour but don't enforce it. Validate against an upgraded node to be sure the rule is being checked.
- Don't confuse "draft" / "proposed" / "final" status — read the BIP header before relying on it in production.
- The BIP number is just an editorial counter — it doesn't imply correctness or stability. Always cross-reference with the latest bitcoin/bips repo.
RELATED_CONCEPTS
Other terms from Upgrades & BIPs — click any to read its page:
TERMINOLOGY_INDEX
TERMINOLOGY
BIP 360 (Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash — P2QRH / QuBit)
Draft post-quantum address type committing to PQ-safe pubkey hashes.
Segregated Witness (SegWit, BIP 141)
The 2017 upgrade separating witness-data/">witness data, fixing tx malleability, and introducing weight units.
Taproot (BIP 341)
Tapscript (BIP 342)
Script-language updates accompanying Taproot — new opcodes, removed limits.
Schnorr (BIP 340)
The Schnorr signature spec adopted by Taproot.
BIP Process
The community workflow for proposing, discussing, and tracking changes to Bitcoin.
Soft Fork Activation
MASF (Miner-Activated Soft Fork)
Activation triggered by miner signaling in block versions.