Visualizing Stack State Through Script Execution

20. Visualizing Stack State Through Script Execution

Overview

One of the most effective ways to understand Bitcoin Script and stack manipulation opcodes is through step-by-step stack visualization. By tracing the stack state at each opcode, developers can verify correctness, debug unexpected behavior, and communicate script logic clearly. This section provides comprehensive visual execution traces for several representative script patterns.

Notation Convention

Throughout these traces, we use the following format:

[ bottom, ..., top ]   ← items listed left-to-right, top is rightmost

Or alternatively, a vertical representation:

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