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Thursday, August 2, 2018

Alphanumeric: Defined in CryptoCurrency (OptEdit-UnCon Needed)

Alphanumeric:
Defined in CryptoCurrency

Alphanumeric is something made up of both letters and numbers.
Alpha- comes from the word “alphabet” and -numeric comes from the word “numerical” meaning relating to numbers.

Bitcoin address on the Main Network is made up of the character '1', concatenated with the base58 of 20 bytes from a ripemd160 hash concatenated with 4 bytes of checksum of alphanumerics.

Since log(220 * 8 + 4 * 8)/log(58) + 1 ~= 33.7, we get the 34 upper bound.

What I don't understand is the 26 character lower bound. If the ripemd160 hash is super low, then the Bitcoin address would be super short. (If the ripemd160 hash is 0, we only have the checksum and the leading '1', which means we could get it down to 11 characters.)

Where does the lower bound of 26 come from?





Bitcoin Address Formats and Protocol

  1. A wallet address, is a string of 26-35 alphanumeric characters it takes to send and receive bitcoin. 
  2. Any bitcoin address can be used to transfer cryptocurrency to any other address on the network, provided sender’s wallet-software/Hardware supports that address type. 
  3. With so many multiple address formats to choose from, and wallet providers and exchanges only supporting certain address types, and it pays to familiarize yourself with the differences if you are going to invest into cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin Address Formats Need to Know



There multiple versions of the Internet IPv4 and IPv6 Protocol as are multiple bitcoin address formats by example.

These do not conflict with one another via transactions zipping seamlessly across networks between custodial and non-custodial user wallets.

Three Bitcoin Core address formats are to choose from, P2PKH, P2SH, and bech32.

Only a handful of these service providers supporting all of them.

Your preferred wallet and-or exchange does not support at least one of these formats.

The bech32 is most likely to be omitted.

Learning cryptocurrency Pros, and Cons, the quirks of each address format and this will enable your decision by choose a needed bitcoin wallet, and node-server exchange that suites your end-needs.

This enhances a deeper personal knowledge of Bitcoin’s workings, and the trade-offs of each format in terms of security, flexibility, functionality, and best of success via economic gains.

P2PKH or Legacy Address Format

If your bitcoin address starts with the number one (1), you’re using a P2PKH or a legacy address, as example here below.

Example of P2PKH or a legacy address: 1BvBMSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2.

This was Bitcoin’s original address format and it still works faithfully to this day.

P2PKH, by definition translates into: "Pay-to-Pubkey Hash", or in other translation "pay to a hash of the recipient’s public key".

Legacy addresses are not "segwit compatible".

You can send BTC from a P2PKH address to a segwit address without any problems.

Average fee when sending from a P2PKH address is higher than sending from a segwit address.

This is; because, that legacy address transactions are larger in size costing server-node has-time per/ms.

P2SH Address Format

P2SH addresses is structured similarly to P2PKH.

The P2PKH addresses start with the number three (3), and the P2SH addresses start with the number one (1)

Our P2PKH is exampled here: 3J98t1WpEZ73CNmQviecrnyiWrnqRhWNLy.

This P2SH, translation is "pay-to-script-hash".

This enables elaborate functionality than legacy addresses.

The P2SH address, as a script function, is used for multisig addresses that specify multiple digital signatures required to authorize the transaction(s).

Now, P2SH address format is used to enable non-native segwit transactions using a process identified as P2WPKH-in-P2SH.

Users ending and receiving coins doesn’t need to concern themselves with the more complex functionality that the P2SH format.

Primary is that the address type is widely supported and can be used to send funds to both P2PKH and bech32 addresses.

Bech32 Address Format


Bech32 addresses appear different from P2-style addresses.

Address type starts with “bc1” and is longer than a legacy or P2SH address on account of this prefix.

The Bech32 is the native segwit address format.

This, Bech32 address format, is supported by the majority of software and hardware wallets, and a majority of exchanges.

Ledger and Keepkey wallets currently don’t support bech32, for instance, and while most exchanges enable sending funds to bech32 addresses, they don’t enable users to receive them with this format.

At present, less than 1 percent of BTC is stored in bech32 addresses, although this number is increasing slowly.

Bitcoin Cash Address Formats


Bitcoin Cash addresses follow either legacy format, (which starts with a 1), or  Cash Address (Cash Addr) format.

The Cash Address (Cash Addr) format is based on bech32 and starts with ‘q’ or ‘bitcoincash:q’. BCH wallets support both formats, with tools to switch between Cash Addr and legacy formats.

Primary reason for using Cash Addr format is to distinguish BCH from BTC and thereby prevent funds being sent to the wrong address, remember that, OK?.

Ifwallet and Cash Accounts



On the 10th anniversary of the Bitcoin genesis block, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) developer Jonathan Silverblood launched his Cashaccount.info platform.

(Jonathan Silverblood, (Twitter) known as Jack-of-all-trades.
Using payment codes with Cash Accounts gets you an account name that is secure, decentralized and meaningful, effectively solving Zookos trillemma).

This CashAccount.info platform allows users to tether human-readable names to BCH addresses in order to make payments easier.

Now the BCH light client Ifwallet has become the first public wallet with Cash Accounts sending support.

Bitcoin addresses are long strings of numbers and letters, a format that to some users can be nerve-racking and cumbersome.

The  BCH software programmer Jonathan Silverblood, (YouTube), has been working on a project that helps bypass some of the friction associated with BCH addresses.

He’s created Cashaccount.info, a platform that allows users to register a one-time human-readable name that is tied to a BCH public address.

News.Bitcoin.com tested the application, the day before the official launch on Bitcoin’s 10th birthday.

The platform hashes a name into the BCH blockchain by using an OP return transaction and after the transaction is registered into a block the name will be validated.
Ifwallet becomes the first public BCH wallet to integrate the Cash Accounts system.

When Silverblood first launched the project he also mentioned that he had been reaching out to wallet developers so they could possibly support Cash Accounts in the future.

The Cashaccount.info-website shows the programmer has discussed the idea with Electron Cash, Edge, BRD, Bitcoin.com, Stash, Ledger Wallet and more.

Next, the Cash Accounts founder explained that the cryptocurrency light client Ifwallet has added support for the name address system within the sending interface.
Johnathan Silverblood giving “Congratulations to Ifwallet for releasing the first public wallet with ash Accounts sending support,” he stated on Thursday.
The developer continued:
When you go to send you can now type in a Cash Accounts name and if they have compatible payment information in them they will show up in a dropdown list.
The Cashaccount.info OP return transaction process.

Ifwallet and Cash Accounts Experimenting


Ifwallet is a cryptocurrency wallet with a focus on bitcoin cash and provides users with a secure asset management tool for token support.

The mobile wallet is backed by investors -i.e. Coinex and is partnered with projects like Johnwick.io, Viabtc, BCH Club, and Wormhole.

Ifwallet also supports the Wormhole project by implementing WHC integration and incorporating the token factory.

The Ifwallet project launched the decentralized applications (dapp) store module and deployed a variety of dapps that can be used with the wallet.
On news.Bitcoin.com tested the Ifwallet application and the client’s speed was similar to using the Japanese Yenom wallet.

The wallet makes you create a six-digit PIN to access the interface but biometric settings like Apple’s Face ID/Touch ID can also be set up.

The wallet doesn’t compel you to back up the wallet’s mnemonic phrase, (A seed phrase, seed recovery phrase or backup seed phrase), immediately and there is a warning message displayed until this part of the process is complete.

I sent 0.00041575 BCH – or a nickel – to the Ifwallet, without realizing there was an identical amount of BSV attached to the BCH. The Ifwallet split the transaction into two and my wallet ended up with 0.00041575 BSV as well.
Sending a nickel’s worth of BCH to “Jamiecrypto#116” using the Ifwallet on iOS. 
After the transaction confirmed, I simply used Silverblood’s directions and sent money to the Cashaccount.info name “Jamiecrypto#116.” The transaction immediately showed a sent transaction to the Cash Accounts name and the process was much simpler than copy and pasting an alphanumeric string to use as an address. Overall the application worked well and if more wallets integrate this feature it would likely make sending and receiving easier for newcomers. However, some people will definitely take issue with reusing addresses and may not find the Cash Accounts payment system compatible with efforts toward financial privacy.
What do you think about Ifwallet implementing Cash Accounts support? Do you think concepts like Cash Accounts is a good idea? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Disclaimer: Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned companies or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com and the author are not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses, mistakes, skipped steps or security measures not taken, as the ultimate decision-making process to do any of these things is solely the reader’s responsibility. This editorial is for informational purposes only.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Ifwallet, Bitcoin.com’s Block Explorer, and Cashaccount.info.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.



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Arbitrage: Defined in CryptoCurrency


Arbitrage: 

Defined in CryptoCurrency

A beginner’s guide

In cryptocurrency trading, there can sometimes be significant price differences between exchanges.
Cryptocurrency arbitrage allows you to take advantage of those price differences, buying a crypto on one exchange where the price is low and then immediately selling it on another exchange where the price is high.

Remember, there are several important risks and pitfalls you need to be aware of before you start trading.


What is cryptocurrency arbitrage?

Arbitrage is the simultaneous buying and selling of an asset on different markets to profit from the price difference between those markets being traded.

In a highly simplified example of how cryptocurrency arbitrage works, you would search for a specific coin that’s cheaper on Exchange A.) than on Exchange B.) Then, You then buy the coin on Exchange A.), sell it for a higher price on Exchange B.), and pocket the difference.

Arbitrage trading is not a new one and has existed in stock, bond and foreign exchange markets for many years.

Understand that the development of quantitative systems designed to spot price differences and execute trades across separate markets has put arbitrage trading out of reach of most retail traders.

The arbitrage opportunities still exist in the world of cryptocurrency, where a rapid surge in trading volume and inefficiencies between exchanges cause price differences to arise.

Bigger exchanges with higher liquidity effectively drive the price of the rest of the market, with smaller exchanges following the prices set by their larger counterparts.

With smaller exchanges don’t immediately follow the prices set on larger exchanges, which is where opportunities for arbitrage arise.


How does cryptocurrency arbitrage work?

Arbitrage is typically made possible by a difference in trading volumes between two separate markets.

The reason behind this is simple: in a market with high trading volumes where there’s reasonable liquidity of a particular coin, prices are generally cheaper.

Within a market where there’s limited supply of a particular coin, it will be more expensive. By purchasing from the former and instantaneously selling on the latter, traders can theoretically profit from the difference.


Arbitrage opportunities also exist in the opposite direction, where you would buy on a smaller exchange and sell on a larger exchange.

The recent surge in the popularity of cryptocurrency has led to a dramatic increase in trading volumes on many exchanges around the world.

Those exchanges are not linked, and a low trading volume on some exchanges can mean that the price listed doesn’t adjust to the exchange average immediately.

As a result, this has seen the creation of price differences arbitragers could potentially exploit.

The most famous example of crypto exchange pricing differences was a phenomenon known as the “kimchi premium” which, in January 2018, saw the price of bitcoin (BTC) in South Korea rise to more than 50% higher than global prices.


How to do it:

The most basic approach to cryptocurrency arbitrage is to do everything manually – monitor the markets for price differences, and then place your trades and transfer funds accordingly. 

However, there are several cryptocurrency arbitrage bots available online that are designed to make it as easy as possible to track price movements and differences. Online or mobile trading apps, such as Blockfolio, can also simplify the market monitoring process.

It’s also worth pointing out that hedge funds are increasingly moving into the cryptocurrency sphere.

For example, Singapore hedge fund Kit Trading is raising $10 million for a crypto arbitrage fund and is set to join the more than 80 crypto hedge funds that launched in 2017.



There are multiple strategies arbitrage traders can use to make a profit, including the following:
  • Simple arbitrage: Buying and selling the same coin immediately on separate exchanges.
  • Triangular arbitrage: This process involves taking advantage of the price differences between three currencies. For example, buy BTC in USD, sell it to make EUR, and then exchange those EUR back to USD.
  • Convergence arbitrage: This approach involves buying a coin on one exchange where it is undervalued and short-selling the same coin on another exchange where it is overvalued. When the two separate prices meet at a middle point, you can profit from the amount of convergence.

ASIC Miner: Defined in CryptoCurrency

ASIC Miner: Defined


An application-specific integrated circuit (abbreviated as ASIC) is an integrated circuit (IC) customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use.

In Bitcoin mining hardware, ASICs were the next step of development after CPUs, GPUs and FPGAs.

Capable of easily outperforming the aforementioned platforms for Bitcoin mining in both speed and efficiency, all Bitcoin mining hardware that is practical in use will make use of one or more Bitcoin (SHA256d) ASICs.

Note that Bitcoin ASIC chips generally can only be used for Bitcoin mining.

While there are rare exceptions - for example chips that mine both Bitcoin and Litecoin - this is often because the chip package effectively has two ASICs: one for Bitcoin and one for Litecoin.

The ASIC chip of choice determines, in large part, the cost and efficiency of a given miner, as ASIC development and manufacture are very expensive processes, and the ASIC chips themselves are often the components that require the most power on a Bitcoin miner.

While there are many Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturers, some of these should be seen as systems integrators - using the ASIC chips manufactured by other parties, and combining them with other electronic components on a board to form the Bitcoin mining hardware.

Anonymous: Defined in CryptoCurrency


Anonymous:
Defined in CryptoCurrency


Anonymous: Defined in CryptoCurrency, is a profile that interacts as an unknown person or group.

Anonymous is easily compare by definition with “pseudonymous” which means acting or done under a false name and-or profile.

This word "Anonymous" is often associated and noted for the "Group Anonymous" that currently recognized for International government being involved in global civil rights violations and the government watch-dogs who criminalize hackers be`it ethical, morale, or otherwise, regardless to international-law-enforcement involvement.


Bitcoin cryptocurrency, which was perceived by many as an anonymous currency, or payment method in its early years, is actually a pseudonymous and not at all an anonymous cryptocurrency.


This lack of anonymity severely hampers the fungibility, [-i.e.: fungibility , In economics, is the property of a good or a commodity whose individual units are essentially interchangeable, and each of its parts is indistinguishable from another part.], of a true currency system but currently, Bitcoin core devs are not paying any heed to this issue.

That is probably because they are too caught up with Bitcoin’s scalability issues.

As a result of that, more and more currencies are mushrooming everywhere and attempting to fix the privacy/anonymity/fungibility issues, but fall sort of the truer anonymous cryptocurrencies which are Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC), Dash (DOA), PIVX (PIVX), Zcoin (XZC), Komodo (KMD), NAV Coin (NAV).

Cryptocurrencies started with a decentralized ledger and anonymous transaction features that have changed the paradigm of the global economy as we know it from an idea.

While the world is still divided on the future of cryptocurrency in payments and transactions, cryptocurrencies have made a mark on the world.

But, not all cryptocurrencies provide the level of anonymity that we are looking for.

Some like bitcoin only offers partial anonymity that can be used to a good extent.

We are provided with private keys that are basically the keys to your bitcoin safe but we also have to put in a public key that appears on the blockchain.

In most cases, this public key is an email of the cryptocurrency account holder at the time it is transferred.


Many use anonymous emails and don’t get me wrong, they are effective to a large extent but certainly not anonymous enough for many people.


Cryptocurrency exchanges have also reduced the associated anonymity and people who store their coins in their wallets and servers give up most of their anonymity associated that was an original feature of cryptocurrencies.

Now why do you need anonymous cryptocurrency transactions? What is in it for crypto users to come back to the original focus of cryptocurrencies i.e anonymous transactions?

Why not just stick with just borderless, fast and secure transactions even without the anonymity part?
The reason is control.

Anonymous transactions were the cornerstone of cryptocurrencies for many people.

It allowed them to use their currency or earn it in a way that had no government oversight.
 

If we allow governments and big entities to intrude on this aspect of cryptocurrencies, we are in fact taking the energy out of the much needed change that is needed in free market economics.

We become limited free market cryptocurrencies.

This is why a few new approaches to cryptocurrencies are singling out anonymous transactions as the future of cryptocurrency development.

Yes, they definitely offer more privacy than bitcoin, Ethereum or other cryptocurrencies out there in the market.

With the new upcoming DeepSend feature by DeepOnion this will be one of the most secure and untraceable anonymous cryptocurrencies on the market.

Anonymous-Group is not so hacker safe, nor shall it ever again.

AML: Defined in CryptoCurrency


AML:
Defined in CryptoCurrency


Anti-Money Laundering (AML):
AML is a term mainly used in the financial and legal industries to describe the legal controls that require financial institutions and other regulated entities to prevent, detect and report money laundering activities.

Bitcoin exchanges may be considered to be money service businesses, or money transmitters possibly even, depending on the by state and or federal jurisdiction decisions made into law.

For money service businesses and money transmitters operating in the U.S., the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) is the regulation the requires specific AML-related record keeping and reporting actions.

Anti-Money-Laundering (AML):
AML is a set of laws designed to prevent the conversion of illegally earned money into what appears to be legally earned money.

Money laundering is the process of making illegally earned money appear to be legally earned.



Altcoin: defined in CryptoCurrency


Altcoin: Defined



About AltCoin:


  • Altcoin is a cryptocurrency with exception for bitcoin, because it was the founding currency and all other cryptocurrency coins that are defined as alternative-coins. 
  • Altcoin is a combination of two words: “alternative bitcoin” or “alternative coin”. There are over 1,500 altcoins with many more planned for release.
  • Altcoins are the alternative cryptocurrencies launched after the success of Bitcoin.
  • The AltCoin project themselves as better substitutes to Bitcoin and the citizens desire a decentralized bank, and zero-no transparency.
  • Many altcoins target any perceived limitations that Bitcoin offers with newer security and decentralized competitive advantages.
  • The term 'altcoins' means all cryptocurrencies which are not Bitcoin, and there are hundreds of altcoins.

BREAKING DOWN 'Altcoin':


  • "Altcoin" is a combination of two words, "alt" and "coin"; alt signifying 'alternative' and coin signifying 'cryptocurrency.'
  • AltCoins imply a category of cryptocurrency that is alternative to the digital currency Bitcoin.
  • Countless successful story of Bitcoin investors making it rich have given birth to AltCoins.
  • Mmany peer-to-peer digital AltCoin currencies attempting to improve where BitCoin currency is lacking in decentralization, privacy, and slow transaction time.
  • Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, and remains most popular.
  • Bitcoin-Coin is now only one of hundreds of cryptocurrencies, which all seek to improve upon Bitcoin in various ways.
  • Many of the altcoins are built up on the basic framework provided by Bitcoin.
  • Most altcoins are peer-to-peer, involve a mining process by which users solve difficult problems to unlock blocks.
  • AlCoins offer efficient and affordable ways to carry out transactions on the web.
  • Altcoins vary widely from each other.
  • Altocoins differ themselves from bitcoin with a range of procedural variations.
  • CryptoTraders use proof-of-work algorithms.
  • The earliest notable altcoin, Namecoin.
  • Namecoin was based on the Bitcoin code.
  • The Namecoin used the same proof-of-work algorithm; like Bitcoin.
  • Namecoin is limited to 21 million coins.


Namecoin Introduced in April 2011:


















  • This Namecoin primarily diverged from Bitcoin by making user domains less visible, private, allowing users to register and mine using their own .bit domains.
  • Namecoin intended to increase anonymity and censorship resistance.
  • Current leading examples of altcoin include Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple.
  • Litecoin is seen as the closest competitor to Bitcoin.
  • Litecoin was introduced in October 2011, shortly after Namecode, Litecoin was branded as the 'silver to Bitcoin's gold.'
  • Litecoin, while fundamentally similar in code and functionality to Bitcoin, Litecoin differs from Bitcoin in several essential ways.
  • Litecoin allows mining transactions to be approved every 2 1/2 minutes, to Bitcoins 10 minutes.
  • Litecoin also allows for a total of 84 million coins to be created - exactly 4 times higher than Bitcoin's, and Namecon's 21 million coins.
  • Litecoin also uses a different proof-of-work algorithm than Bitcoin the scrypt.
  • Litecoin uses a sequential function that is much more memory-hard than most proof-of-work algorithms.
  • Litecoin is supposed to make it much more difficult to generate than bitcoins, as increasing memory space required for the proof-of-work algorithm reduces the mining speed, and makes it harder for any one user or group of users to dominate the blockchain.
  • As of May 2018 there are more than 1500 Altcoin cryptocurrencies available over the internet all except one of which are altcoins.
  • New altcoin cryptocurrencies can be created at any time.
  • There are many older cryptocurrencies which are no longer on the market.


Different proof-of-work algorithm:


  • The Proof-Of-Work-(PoW) algorithm used for mining Bitcoin is SHA2.
  • It was chosen because it is fast to verify and has been critically analyzed.
  • The SHA2 cryptography is used by ASICs developers and ASIC's pitch is that there is a much smaller risk of centralization, but this is not at all true; actually the opposite.

These mining algorithms are used in different altcoins:

  1. Scrypt proof of work.
  2. Combination of hashing algorithms in series (e.g. X11).
  3. Combination of hashing algorithms in parallel (e.g. Myriad algorithm).

  • The problem with having an algorithm that is "easy to mine with" as this is referring to the ability to CPU or GPU mine profitably.
  • This algorithm defines; mining should be harder for people who are poor not being able to afford more expensive mining equipment.
  • The excuse is to secure the network, but this is false, and in fact only allows the wealthiest to get richer only.
  • A higher peasant barrier in order to have increases profits.
  • Tthe time barrier within the first group to create ASICs will monopolize the market, and then and again those who large sums of cash, the wealthy.

Proof Of Stake:


  • In Proof of Stake-(POS), instead of sacrificing energy to mine a block, a user must prove they own a certain amount of the cryptocurrency to generate a block.
  • The more stake you own, the more likely you are to generate a block. In theory, this should prevent users from creating forks because it will devalue their stake and it should save a lot of energy.
  • Proof of Stake sounds like a good idea, but ironically, there is the "Nothing at Stake" problem.
  • Reason is, POS, mining Bitcoin is costly, it is not smart to waste your energy on a fork that won't earn you any money, however with Proof of Stake, it is free to mine a fork.

Application Built on Top of a Cryptocurrency:


  • Bitcoin is a similar to HTTP.
  • Bitcoin is an application layer protocol and tools can be built on it (like websites can be built on HTTP).
  • There is a class of cryptocurrencies that promise features like casino websites and exchanges and anonymity protocols to be built on top of them.
  • Protocol HTTPS is an encrypted version of HTTP, therefore it is useful and necessary.
  • Creating apps, such as "DarkSend", programmersdo not make a new protocol called "Darkcoin".
  • This is synonymous to making an HTTPS alternative (eg. HTTPSX) for your new encrypted chat website and not adding any new security or functionality to HTTPSX.
  • This is a new class of altcoin that is targeted at a certain demographic.

Useful Cryptocurrencies:


  • A cryptocurrency is useful if it accomplishes a task that Bitcoin cannot.
  • Acting as a keystore for things like decentralized domain registration.
  • Having demmurage or some other economic system that is one of the prohibited changes.
  • Allowing creation of and transmission of digital assets. 



Address: defined in CryptoCurrency


Address: defined in CryptoCurrency

Understand that an Address: defined in CryptoCurrency; is a string of letters, and-or numbers that is publicly available and allows cryptocurrency to be received, held and sent.

--------------------------

A Bitcoin address, or simply address, is an identifier of 26-35 alphanumeric characters, beginning with the number 1, 3 or bc1 that represents a possible destination for a bitcoin payment. Addresses can be generated at no cost by any user of Bitcoin. For example, using Bitcoin Core, one can click "New Address" and be assigned an address. It is also possible to get a Bitcoin address using an account at an exchange or online wallet service.
There are currently three address formats in use:
  1. P2PKH which begin with the number 1, eg: 1BvBMSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2.
  2. P2SH type starting with the number 3, eg: 3J98t1WpEZ73CNmQviecrnyiWrnqRhWNLy.
  3. Bech32 type starting with bc1, eg: bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq.

List of address prefixes

Blockchain-based currencies use encoded strings, which are in a Base58Check encoding with the exception of Bech32 encodings. The encoding includes a prefix (traditionally a single version byte), which affects the leading symbol(s) in the encoded result. The following is a list of some prefixes which are in use in the reference Bitcoin codebase.
Decimal prefix Hex Example use Leading symbol(s) Example
0 00 Pubkey hash (P2PKH address) 1 17VZNX1SN5NtKa8UQFxwQbFeFc3iqRYhem
5 05 Script hash (P2SH address) 3 3EktnHQD7RiAE6uzMj2ZifT9YgRrkSgzQX
128 80 Private key (WIF, uncompressed pubkey) 5 5Hwgr3u458GLafKBgxtssHSPqJnYoGrSzgQsPwLFhLNYskDPyyA
128 80 Private key (WIF, compressed pubkey) K or L L1aW4aubDFB7yfras2S1mN3bqg9nwySY8nkoLmJebSLD5BWv3ENZ
4 136 178 30 0488B21E BIP32 pubkey xpub xpub661MyMwAqRbcEYS8w7XLSVeEsBXy79zSzH1J8vCdxAZningWLdN3 zgtU6LBpB85b3D2yc8sfvZU521AAwdZafEz7mnzBBsz4wKY5e4cp9LB
4 136 173 228 0488ADE4 BIP32 private key xprv xprv9s21ZrQH143K24Mfq5zL5MhWK9hUhhGbd45hLXo2Pq2oqzMMo63o StZzF93Y5wvzdUayhgkkFoicQZcP3y52uPPxFnfoLZB21Teqt1VvEHx
111 6F Testnet pubkey hash m or n mipcBbFg9gMiCh81Kj8tqqdgoZub1ZJRfn
196 C4 Testnet script hash 2 2MzQwSSnBHWHqSAqtTVQ6v47XtaisrJa1Vc
239 EF Testnet Private key (WIF, uncompressed pubkey) 9 92Pg46rUhgTT7romnV7iGW6W1gbGdeezqdbJCzShkCsYNzyyNcc
239 EF Testnet Private key (WIF, compressed pubkey) c cNJFgo1driFnPcBdBX8BrJrpxchBWXwXCvNH5SoSkdcF6JXXwHMm
4 53 135 207 043587CF Testnet BIP32 pubkey tpub tpubD6NzVbkrYhZ4WLczPJWReQycCJdd6YVWXubbVUFnJ5KgU5MDQrD9 98ZJLNGbhd2pq7ZtDiPYTfJ7iBenLVQpYgSQqPjUsQeJXH8VQ8xA67D
4 53 131 148 04358394 Testnet BIP32 private key tprv tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPcsbCVeqqF1KVdH7gwDJbxbzpCxDUsoXHdb6SnTPY xdwSAKDC6KKJzv7khnNWRAJQsRA8BBQyiSfYnRt6zuu4vZQGKjeW4YF
Bech32 pubkey hash or script hash bc1 bc1qw508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7kv8f3t4
Bech32 testnet pubkey hash or script hash tb1 tb1qw508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7kxpjzsx

Note: that private keys for compressed and uncompressed bitcoin public keys use the same version byte. The reason for the compressed form starting with a different character is because a 0x01 byte is appended to the private key before base58 encoding.

The following table shows the leading symbol(s) and address length(s) for 160 bit hashes for each of the possible decimal version values:
Decimal version Leading symbol Address length
0 1 up to 34
1 Q-Z, a-k, m-o 33
2 o-z, 2 33 or 34
3 2 34
4 2 or 3 34
5-6 3 34
7 3 or 4 34
8 4 34
9 4 or 5 34
10-11 5 34
12 5 or 6 34
13 6 34
14 6 or 7 34
15-16 7 34
17 7 or 8 34
18 8 34
19 8 or 9 34
20-21 9 34
22 9 or A 34
23 A 34
24 A or B 34
25-26 B 34
27 B or C 34
28 C 34
29 C or D 34
30-31 D 34
32 D or E 34
33 E 34
34 E or F 34
35-36 F 34
37 F or G 34
38 G 34
39 G or H 34
40-41 H 34
42 H or J 34
43 J 34
44 J or K 34
45-46 K 34
47 K or L 34
48 L 34
49 L or M 34
50-51 M 34
52 M or N 34
53 N 34
54 N or P 34
55-56 P 34
57 P or Q 34
58 Q 34
59 Q or R 34
60-61 R 34
62 R or S 34
63 S 34
64 S or T 34
65-66 T 34
67 T or U 34
68 U 34
69 U or V 34
70-71 V 34
72 V or W 34
73 W 34
74 W or X 34
75-76 X 34
77 X or Y 34
78 Y 34
79 Y or Z 34
80-81 Z 34
82 Z or a 34
83 a 34
84 a or b 34
85 b 34
86 b or c 34
87-88 c 34
89 c or d 34
90 d 34
91 d or e 34
92-93 e 34
94 e or f 34
95 f 34
96 f or g 34
97-98 g 34
99 g or h 34
100 h 34
101 h or i 34
102-103 i 34
104 i or j 34
105 j 34
106 j or k 34
107-108 k 34
109 k or m 34
110 m 34
111 m or n 34
112-113 n 34
114 n or o 34
115 o 34
116 o or p 34
117-118 p 34
119 p or q 34
120 q 34
121 q or r 34
122-123 r 34
124 r or s 34
125 s 34
126 s or t 34
127-128 t 34
129 t or u 34
130 u 34
131 u or v 34
132-133 v 34
134 v or w 34
135 w 34
136 w or x 34
137-138 x 34
139 x or y 34
140 y 34
141 y or z 34
142-143 z 34
144 z or 2 34 or 35
145-255 2 35

References


Contents

A Bitcoin address is a single-use token

Like e-mail addresses, you can send bitcoins to a person by sending bitcoins to one of their addresses. However, unlike e-mail addresses, people have many different Bitcoin addresses and a unique address should be used for each transaction. Most Bitcoin software and websites will help with this by generating a brand new address each time you create an invoice or payment request.

Addresses can be created offline

Creating addresses can be done without an Internet connection and does not require any contact or registration with the Bitcoin network. It is possible to create large batches of addresses offline using freely available software tools. Generating batches of addresses is useful in several scenarios, such as e-commerce websites where a unique pre-generated address is dispensed to each customer who chooses a "pay with Bitcoin" option. Newer "HD wallets" can generate a "master public key" token which can be used to allow untrusted systems (such as webservers) to generate an unlimited number of addresses without the ability to spend the bitcoins received.

Addresses are often case sensitive and exact

Old-style Bitcoin addresses are case-sensitive. Bitcoin addresses should be copied and pasted using the computer's clipboard wherever possible. If you hand-key a Bitcoin address, and each character is not transcribed exactly - including capitalization - the incorrect address will most likely be rejected by the Bitcoin software. You will have to check your entry and try again.
The probability that a mistyped address is accepted as being valid is 1 in 232, that is, approximately 1 in 4.29 billion.
New-style bech32 addresses are case insensitive.

Proving you receive with an address

Most Bitcoin wallets have a function to "sign" a message, proving the entity receiving funds with an address has agreed to the message. This can be used to, for example, finalise a contract in a cryptographically provable way prior to making payment for it.
Some services will also piggy-back on this capability by dedicating a specific address for authentication only, in which case the address should never be used for actual Bitcoin transactions. When you login to or use their service, you will provide a signature proving you are the same person with the pre-negotiated address.
It is important to note that these signatures only prove one receives with an address. Since Bitcoin transactions do not have a "from" address, you cannot prove you are the sender of funds.
Current standards for message signatures are only compatible with "version zero" bitcoin addresses (that begin with the number 1).

Address validation

If you would like to validate a Bitcoin address in an application, it is advisable to use a method from this thread rather than to just check for string length, allowed characters, or that the address starts with a 1 or 3. Validation may also be done using open source code available in various languages or with an online validating tool.

Multi-signature addresses

Addresses can be created that require a combination of multiple private keys. Since these take advantage of newer features, they begin with the newer prefix of 3 instead of the older 1. These can be thought of as the equivalent of writing a check to two parties - "pay to the order of somebody AND somebody else" - where both parties must endorse the check in order to receive the funds.
The actual requirement (number of private keys needed, their corresponding public keys, etc.) that must be satisfied to spend the funds is decided in advance by the person generating this type of address, and once an address is created, the requirement cannot be changed without generating a new address.

What's in an address

Most Bitcoin addresses are 34 characters. They consist of random digits and uppercase and lowercase letters, with the exception that the uppercase letter "O", uppercase letter "I", lowercase letter "l", and the number "0" are never used to prevent visual ambiguity.
Some Bitcoin addresses can be shorter than 34 characters (as few as 26) and still be valid. A significant percentage of Bitcoin addresses are only 33 characters, and some addresses may be even shorter. Every Bitcoin address stands for a number. These shorter addresses are valid simply because they stand for numbers that happen to start with zeroes, and when the zeroes are omitted, the encoded address gets shorter.
Several of the characters inside a Bitcoin address are used as a checksum so that typographical errors can be automatically found and rejected. The checksum also allows Bitcoin software to confirm that a 33-character (or shorter) address is in fact valid and isn't simply an address with a missing character.

Testnet

Addresses on the Bitcoin Testnet are generated with a different address version, which results in a different prefix.

Misconceptions

Address reuse

Addresses are not intended to be used more than once, and doing so has numerous problems associated.

Address balances

Addresses are not wallets nor accounts, and do not carry balances. They only receive funds, and you do not send "from" an address at any time. Various confusing services and software display bitcoins received with an address, minus bitcoins sent in random unrelated transactions as an "address balance", but this number is not meaningful: it does not imply the recipient of the bitcoins sent to the address has spent them, nor that they still have the bitcoins received.
An example of bitcoin loss resulting from this misunderstanding is when people believed their address contained 3btc. They spent 0.5btc and believed the address now contained 2.5btc when actually it contained zero. The remaining 2.5btc was transferred to a change address which was not backed up and therefore lost. This has happened on a few occasions to users of Paper wallets.

"From" addresses

Bitcoin transactions do not have any kind of origin-, source- or "from" address.

Address map

Address map.jpg