How do we verify the signature on a raw transaction using Bitcoinj?

Question

I managed to create a raw tx using Bitcoinj but not able to figure out how to verify its signatures. Assuming I know the addresses corresponding to the (supposedly) unspent outputs used as inputs to the Tx, what is the easiest way to verify the Tx?

Answer 1

You're interested in the following API calls:

public List<TransactionInput> Transaction.getInputs()
public Script TransactionInput.getScriptSig() throws ScriptException
public void Script.correctlySpends(Transaction txContainingThis, long scriptSigIndex, Script scriptPubKey)

Use them like so:

Transaction tx = ...
List<TransactionInput> inputs = tx.getInputs();
for(int i = 0; i < inputs.size(); i++) {
    TransactionInput input = inputs.get(i);
    Script scriptSig = input.getScriptSig();
    Script scriptPubKey = ...
    scriptSig.correctlySpends(tx, i, scriptPubKey);
}

The tricky bit is getting scriptPubKey. If you have the transactions you're spending in memory, it's as simple as input.getConnectedOutput().getScriptPubKey();

If it isn't, then you can make an educated guess by converting the address to a P2PKH scriptPubKey.

public static Script ScriptBuilder.createOutputScript(Address to)

This creates an edge case where if someone tries to spend a P2PK output, it will appear to be signed incorrectly to your program. (Both are represented by addresses.)