ryanwold.net - Civic Tech, Bitcoin, and Open Government Innovation

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Designing a Bitcoin wallet in Elixir would be a fascinating project, leveraging Elixir's strengths such as fault tolerance, scalability, and functional programming. Let's outline a potential design for such a wallet, including its features and the order of development with a focus on test-driven development (TDD).

Core Features of the Bitcoin Wallet
Mnemonic Phrase Generation (BIP39): Generate a secure and random mnemonic phrase for wallet recovery.
Seed Generation: Convert the mnemonic phrase into a seed.
HD Wallet Implementation (BIP32/BIP44): Create a hierarchical deterministic wallet allowing for organized and secure key management.
Address Generation: Generate Bitcoin addresses for receiving transactions.
Transaction Creation: Create and sign transactions.
Transaction Broadcast: Send signed transactions to the Bitcoin network.
Balance Check and Transaction History: Check wallet balance and view transaction history.
Multi-Signature Support: Enable transactions that require multiple signatures.
Security Features: Implement security features like encryption of private keys.
User-Friendly Interface: A simple and intuitive interface for users to interact with their wallet.
Blockchain Synchronization: Option to sync with the Bitcoin blockchain for transaction verification.
Development Approach with TDD
Phase 1: Project Setup and Basic Wallet Structure

Task 1: Set up the Elixir project environment with necessary dependencies.
Test 1: Ensure the environment is correctly configured with a simple "Hello World" test.
Phase 2: Mnemonic Phrase and Seed Generation

Task 2: Implement mnemonic phrase generation following BIP39.
Test 2: Test the randomness and validity of the mnemonic phrases generated.
Task 3: Implement seed generation from the mnemonic.
Test 3: Test seed generation ensuring deterministic output for the same mnemonic.
Phase 3: HD Wallet Key Management

Task 4: Implement master key generation from the seed.
Test 4: Validate master key generation.
Task 5: Implement hierarchical key derivation.
Test 5: Test child key derivation and ensure compliance with BIP32/BIP44.

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