### Types of Bitcoin addresses and their historical development

There are several types of addresses in Bitcoin, each of which has its own characteristics and affects transaction costs. The main types of addresses are:

1. **P2PKH (Pay-to-PubKey-Hash)**:
- **Format**: Starts with "1."
- Example: `1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa`.
- **Features**: The oldest and most common type of address. Uses a public key hash.
- History**: Introduced in the early stages of Bitcoin. It has been widely used since the launch of the network.

2. **P2SH (Pay-to-Script-Hash)**:
- **Format**: Starts with a "3."
- Example: `3J98t1WpEZ73CNmQviecrnyiWrnqRhWNLy`.
- **Features**: The address indicates the hash of the script. Used for multisig, time-lock and other complex scripts.
- History: Introduced in 2012 with BIP 16. Popularized due to multisig.

3. **Bech32 (P2WPKH, P2WSH)**:
- **Format**: Begins with "bc1."
- Example: `bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf7z25`.
- **Features**: Uses witnesses for Segregated Witness (SegWit) transactions. Provides lower fees and better security.
- History: Introduced in 2017 with BIP 173. Widely used after the activation of SegWit.

### Dependence of transaction costs on address types

1. **P2PKH**:
- **Commissions**: Higher than other types because scripts take up more space on the blockchain.
- Reason**: Transactions contain more data due to the full hash of the public key and signature.

2. **P2SH**:
- Fees: Usually lower than P2PKH, but can be higher if the scripts are complex.
- Reason**: Uses a hash of the script, which can be shorter, but depends on the complexity of the implemented script (e.g. multisig).

3. **Bech32 (P2WPKH, P2WSH)**:
- **Commissions**: The lowest among all address types.
- Reason**: SegWit allows you to separate witness data, reducing the size of transactions and, consequently, fees. Bech32 addresses are optimized to reduce the amount of data.

### Historical development and impact on fees

- **Before SegWit (2017)**:
- The main types of addresses were P2PKH and P2SH. Fees were higher due to the larger amount of data in transactions.

- **After SegWit (2017)**:
- The introduction of Bech32 addresses significantly reduced transaction fees by optimizing transaction size.

- **Pre SegWit**:
- Ensured the separation of signatures (witnesses) from the main transaction data, reducing the size of transactions and increasing the efficiency of blockchain use.

### Advantages and disadvantages

- **P2PKH**:
- **Advantages**: Simplicity, compatibility with all wallets.
- Cons: Higher fees.

- P2SH**:
- Pros: Flexibility (support for complex scripts, multisig).
- Cons: There may be higher commissions if the scripts are complex.

- BCH32:
- Advantages: Lower commissions, improved security, reduced errors when entering addresses.
- Disadvantages: Not all old wallets support Bech32.

### Conclusion.

The choice of address type can significantly affect transaction costs. Bech32 addresses provide the lowest fees due to the optimization introduced with SegWit. P2PKH and P2SH addresses are still in use, but they are less efficient in terms of fees. By switching to Bech32, users can significantly reduce their transaction costs.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***