Refactor signer implementation to use p8k package

- Replaced all instances of p256k1signer with the new p8k.Signer across various modules, including event creation, policy handling, and database interactions.
- Updated related test cases and benchmarks to ensure compatibility with the new signer interface.
- Bumped version to v0.25.0 to reflect these significant changes and improvements in cryptographic operations.

pkg/crypto/p8k/bench/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+# Benchmark Suite - secp256k1 Implementation Comparison
+
+This benchmark suite compares three different secp256k1 implementations:
+
+1. **BTCEC** - The btcsuite implementation (https://github.com/btcsuite/btcd/tree/master/btcec)
+2. **P256K1** - Pure Go implementation (https://github.com/mleku/p256k1)
+3. **P8K** - This package using purego for CGO-free C library bindings
+
+## Operations Benchmarked
+
+- **Public Key Derivation**: Generating a public key from a private key
+- **Schnorr Sign**: Creating BIP-340 Schnorr signatures (X-only)
+- **Schnorr Verify**: Verifying BIP-340 Schnorr signatures
+- **ECDH**: Computing shared secrets using Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+### Install Dependencies
+
+```bash
+# Install btcec
+go get github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec/v2
+go get github.com/decred/dcrd/dcrec/secp256k1/v4
+
+# Install p256k1 (if not already available)
+go get github.com/mleku/p256k1
+
+# Install libsecp256k1 (for p8k benchmarks)
+# Ubuntu/Debian:
+sudo apt-get install libsecp256k1-dev
+
+# macOS:
+brew install libsecp256k1
+
+# Or build from source:
+cd ..
+make install-secp256k1
+```
+
+## Running Benchmarks
+
+### Run All Comparative Benchmarks
+
+```bash
+cd bench
+go test -bench=BenchmarkAll -benchmem -benchtime=10s
+```
+
+### Run Individual Operation Benchmarks
+
+```bash
+# Public key derivation comparison
+go test -bench=BenchmarkComparative_PubkeyDerivation -benchmem -benchtime=10s
+
+# Schnorr signing comparison
+go test -bench=BenchmarkComparative_SchnorrSign -benchmem -benchtime=10s
+
+# Schnorr verification comparison
+go test -bench=BenchmarkComparative_SchnorrVerify -benchmem -benchtime=10s
+
+# ECDH comparison
+go test -bench=BenchmarkComparative_ECDH -benchmem -benchtime=10s
+```
+
+### Run Single Implementation Benchmarks
+
+```bash
+# Only BTCEC
+go test -bench=BenchmarkBTCEC -benchmem
+
+# Only P256K1
+go test -bench=BenchmarkP256K1 -benchmem
+
+# Only P8K
+go test -bench=BenchmarkP8K -benchmem
+```
+
+### Generate Pretty Output
+
+```bash
+# Run and save results
+go test -bench=BenchmarkAll -benchmem -benchtime=10s | tee results.txt
+
+# Or use benchstat for statistical analysis
+go install golang.org/x/perf/cmd/benchstat@latest
+
+# Run multiple times for better statistical analysis
+go test -bench=BenchmarkAll -benchmem -benchtime=10s -count=10 | tee results.txt
+benchstat results.txt
+```
+
+## Expected Results
+
+The benchmarks will show:
+
+- **Operations per second** for each implementation
+- **Memory allocations** per operation
+- **Bytes allocated** per operation
+
+### Performance Characteristics
+
+**BTCEC**:
+- Pure Go implementation
+- Well-optimized for Bitcoin use cases
+- No external dependencies
+
+**P256K1**:
+- Pure Go implementation
+- Direct port from libsecp256k1 C code
+- May have different optimization tradeoffs
+
+**P8K (this package)**:
+- Uses libsecp256k1 C library via purego
+- No CGO required
+- Performance close to native C
+- Requires libsecp256k1 installed
+
+## Understanding Results
+
+Example output:
+```
+BenchmarkAll/PubkeyDerivation/BTCEC-8      100000    10234 ns/op    128 B/op    2 allocs/op
+BenchmarkAll/PubkeyDerivation/P256K1-8      80000    12456 ns/op    192 B/op    4 allocs/op
+BenchmarkAll/PubkeyDerivation/P8K-8        120000     8765 ns/op     64 B/op    1 allocs/op
+```
+
+- **ns/op**: Nanoseconds per operation (lower is better)
+- **B/op**: Bytes allocated per operation (lower is better)
+- **allocs/op**: Number of allocations per operation (lower is better)
+
+## Benchmark Parameters
+
+All benchmarks use:
+- 32-byte random private keys
+- 32-byte SHA-256 message hashes
+- 32-byte auxiliary randomness for signing
+- Deterministic test data for reproducibility
+
+## Notes
+
+- P8K benchmarks will be skipped if libsecp256k1 is not installed
+- Schnorr operations require the schnorrsig module in libsecp256k1
+  - If not available, P8K Schnorr benchmarks will be skipped
+  - Install with: `./configure --enable-module-schnorrsig` when building from source
+- ECDH operations require the ecdh module in libsecp256k1
+  - If not available, P8K ECDH benchmarks will be skipped  
+  - Install with: `./configure --enable-module-ecdh` when building from source
+- Benchmark duration can be adjusted with `-benchtime` flag
+- Use `-count` flag for multiple runs to get better statistical data
+
+**Note:** Even if some P8K benchmarks are skipped, the comparison between BTCEC and P256K1 will still provide valuable performance data.
+
+## Analyzing Trade-offs
+
+When choosing an implementation, consider:
+
+1. **Performance**: Which is fastest for your use case?
+2. **Dependencies**: Do you want pure Go or C library?
+3. **Build System**: CGO vs CGO-free vs pure Go?
+4. **Cross-compilation**: Easier with pure Go or purego?
+5. **Security**: All implementations are based on well-audited code
+
+## Contributing
+
+To add more benchmarks or implementations:
+
+1. Add new benchmark functions following the naming pattern
+2. Include them in the comparative benchmark groups
+3. Update this README with new operations
+4. Submit a PR!
+