The --assumevalid flag is often misunderstood. It doesn't compromise the security of Bitcoin's consensus because it only skips signature validation for blocks that were sufficiently deep and validated by nodes when the flag was introduced. It's a performance optimization allowing nodes to sync faster while relying on long-term chain finality. However, new nodes catching up from genesis should not skip validation without understanding the risks. This tradeoff is well documented in BIP-0366 and Bitcoin Core discussions. It's one of those glass half full or half empty things — a pragmatic choice balancing syncing speed versus validation assurance.
The --assumevalid flag is often misunderstood. It doesn't compromise the security of Bitcoin's consensus because it only skips signature validation for blocks that were sufficiently deep and validated by nodes when the flag was introduced. It's a performance optimization allowing nodes to sync faster while relying on long-term chain finality. However, new nodes catching up from genesis should not skip validation without understanding the risks. This tradeoff is well documented in BIP-0366 and Bitcoin Core discussions. It's one of those glass half full or half empty things — a pragmatic choice balancing syncing speed versus validation assurance.