How to generate a bitcoin address

The digital keys are not actually stored in the network, but are instead created and stored by users in a file, or simple database, called a wallet. Keys enable many of the interesting properties of bitcoin, including de-centralized trust and control, ownership attestation, and the cryptographic-proof security model. Every bitcoin transaction requires a valid signature to be included in the blockchain, which can only be generated with valid digital keys; therefore, anyone with a copy of those keys has control of the bitcoin in that account.

Keys come in pairs consisting of a private secret key and a public key. Think of the public key as similar to a bank account number and the private key as similar to the secret PIN, or signature on a check that provides control over the account. These digital keys are very rarely seen by the users of bitcoin. For the most part, they are stored inside the wallet file and managed by the bitcoin wallet software. In most cases, a bitcoin address is generated from and corresponds to a public key.

However, not all bitcoin addresses represent public keys; they can also represent other beneficiaries such as scripts, as we will see later in this chapter. The bitcoin address is the only representation of the keys that users will routinely see, because this is the part they need to share with the world. In this chapter we will introduce wallets, which contain cryptographic keys. We will look at how keys are generated, stored, and managed.

We will review the various encoding formats used to represent private and public keys, addresses, and script addresses. Finally, we will look at special uses of keys: to sign messages, to prove ownership, and to create vanity addresses and paper wallets. Public Key Cryptography and Cryptocurrency Public key cryptography was invented in the s and is a mathematical foundation for computer and information security. Since the invention of public key cryptography, several suitable mathematical functions, such as prime number exponentiation and elliptic curve multiplication, have been discovered.

These mathematical functions are practically irreversible, meaning that they are easy to calculate in one direction and infeasible to calculate in the opposite direction. Based on these mathematical functions, cryptography enables the creation of digital secrets and unforgeable digital signatures.

Bitcoin uses elliptic curve multiplication as the basis for its public key cryptography. In bitcoin, we use public key cryptography to create a key pair that controls access to bitcoins. The key pair consists of a private key and—derived from it—a unique public key. The public key is used to receive bitcoins, and the private key is used to sign transactions to spend those bitcoins. There is a mathematical relationship between the public and the private key that allows the private key to be used to generate signatures on messages.

This signature can be validated against the public key without revealing the private key. When spending bitcoins, the current bitcoin owner presents her public key and a signature different each time, but created from the same private key in a transaction to spend those bitcoins. Through the presentation of the public key and signature, everyone in the bitcoin network can verify and accept the transaction as valid, confirming that the person transferring the bitcoins owned them at the time of the transfer.

Tip In most wallet implementations, the private and public keys are stored together as a key pair for convenience. However, the public key can be calculated from the private key, so storing only the private key is also possible. Private and Public Keys A bitcoin wallet contains a collection of key pairs, each consisting of a private key and a public key. The private key k is a number, usually picked at random. From the private key, we use elliptic curve multiplication, a one-way cryptographic function, to generate a public key K.

From the public key K , we use a one-way cryptographic hash function to generate a bitcoin address A. In this section, we will start with generating the private key, look at the elliptic curve math that is used to turn that into a public key, and finally, generate a bitcoin address from the public key.

The relationship between private key, public key, and bitcoin address is shown in Figure Figure Private key, public key, and bitcoin address Private Keys A private key is simply a number, picked at random. Ownership and control over the private key is the root of user control over all funds associated with the corresponding bitcoin address.

The private key is used to create signatures that are required to spend bitcoins by proving ownership of funds used in a transaction. The private key must remain secret at all times, because revealing it to third parties is equivalent to giving them control over the bitcoins secured by that key. Tip The bitcoin private key is just a number. You can pick your private keys randomly using just a coin, pencil, and paper: toss a coin times and you have the binary digits of a random private key you can use in a bitcoin wallet.

The public key can then be generated from the private key. Generating a private key from a random number The first and most important step in generating keys is to find a secure source of entropy, or randomness. Usually, the OS random number generator is initialized by a human source of randomness, which is why you may be asked to wiggle your mouse around for a few seconds. For the truly paranoid, nothing beats dice, pencil, and paper. To create such a key, we randomly pick a bit number and check that it is less than n - 1.

In programming terms, this is usually achieved by feeding a larger string of random bits, collected from a cryptographically secure source of randomness, into the SHA hash algorithm that will conveniently produce a bit number. If the result is less than n - 1, we have a suitable private key. Otherwise, we simply try again with another random number. Study the documentation of the random number generator library you choose to make sure it is cryptographically secure.

It is approximately in decimal. The visible universe is estimated to contain atoms. To generate a new key with the Bitcoin Core client see Chapter 3 , use the getnewaddress command. For security reasons it displays the public key only, not the private key. To ask bitcoind to expose the private key, use the dumpprivkey command.

The dumpprivkey command shows the private key in a Base58 checksum-encoded format called the Wallet Import Format WIF , which we will examine in more detail in Private key formats. It is not otherwise possible for bitcoind to know the private key from the public key, unless they are both stored in the wallet. Tip The dumpprivkey command is not generating a private key from a public key, as this is impossible. The command simply reveals the private key that is already known to the wallet and which was generated by the getnewaddress command.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography Explained Elliptic curve cryptography is a type of asymmetric or public-key cryptography based on the discrete logarithm problem as expressed by addition and multiplication on the points of an elliptic curve. Figure is an example of an elliptic curve, similar to that used by bitcoin.

An elliptic curve Bitcoin uses a specific elliptic curve and set of mathematical constants, as defined in a standard called secpk1, established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST. Which wallet is ideal for you is determined by several criteria, including your purchasing requirements and intended use of the bitcoins.

When you first start buying bitcoin, an online wallet is the most convenient and user-friendly way to keep track of them. Very important! Open the app and write down your words recovery phrase as this will be the only backup to your wallet! A receiving address is analogous to a bank account number.

Every bitcoin wallet has its bitcoin receiving address. You may provide this bitcoin address to others so they may transfer funds to your wallet. A BTC address is always alphanumeric and begins with a 1 or a 3. A frequently asked issue is how to obtain a BTC address. Each wallet produces a bitcoin address automatically.

If you've just generated a new wallet, you'll immediately have a unique bitcoin address. A new bitcoin address is produced not just when you establish a new wallet, but also after each operation. And for good reason: when your IP address changes regularly, your network privacy is better safeguarded. Each address where you previously received bitcoin can be used again. It makes no difference whether someone transfers coins to your most current or earliest address; the bitcoins will all arrive in the same wallet.

All created addresses may be found in the transaction history of the wallet. Always copy and paste the recipient address when receiving or transferring bitcoin. This reduces the possibility of making a mistake. The address should not be written or typed. All Bitcoin transactions are irreversible; once the coins are sent, they cannot be recovered.

A bitcoin receiving address is comparable to the number associated with your bank account from which you get your bitcoin. But how can you locate your bitcoin receiving address? The Receiving Address Begin by logging into your wallet. Some wallets will automatically alter a bitcoin receiving address once it has been used for a transaction.

This is done to protect your privacy. But don't worry: your previous receiving addresses will always be valid and associated with your wallet. Receiving: Copy the receiving address from your wallet and paste it on the BTC Direct order form to receive bitcoin in your wallet. Enter the recipient's receiving address that you copied.

Creating a Bitcoin Wallet Backup When you create a bitcoin wallet, you should also build a backup. This ensures that you will always have access to your wallet. The majority of wallets display a series of 12 or 24 randomly generated words. This is referred to as a seed phrase or a recovery seed, and it serves as a backup for your wallet.

With a pen and paper, jot down this seed and save it somewhere secure in the order it is given. It should not be stored digitally or online because this leaves it subject to hackers. If you ever forget your wallet login credentials, you may restore access to your money using the backup.

First and Foremost, Safety! You have to safeguard your cryptocurrency wallet in the same way that you safeguard your physical wallet. Hackers might take your funds if your wallet is not secure enough. Fortunately, there are several methods for keeping your wallet secure.

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Therefore, it's critical to back up your wallet and store the password somewhere safe. This protects you from the risk of fraud or bankruptcy by the wallet provider. Read more: What features to look for in a Bitcoin software wallet. Hardware wallets: long-term storage for larger amounts of bitcoin Hardware wallets, also known as cold wallets, are physical devices created specifically for the purpose of storing cryptocurrencies.

They offer the best security for your digital assets because they insulate you from the Internet, making it effectively impossible for hackers to infiltrate your wallet. Use them for long-term storage instead. As with software wallets, you need to back up your private key and adhere to password management best practices. Tip: Hardware wallets are well worth the initial cost — especially if you own a lot of bitcoin. To make sure the device isn't compromised, only buy one from a company you can trust.

Centralized exchange wallets: convenient buying, selling, and trading Centralized exchanges CEXs have traditionally been a popular place for many newcomers to buy their first bitcoin because they make the buying process very simple. It's like opening a trading account. However, the CEX itself retains control over the funds in your account. Not only does this expose you to the risk of the exchange getting hacked or going bankrupt, it also means you have to ask for permission to withdraw your bitcoin, wait longer to withdraw, and usually pay higher transaction fees for withdrawals.

We recommend using centralized exchanges only for trading not for storing your bitcoin. Tip: CEXs are not a secure place to store digital assets. Having created a paper wallet, you can send any amount of bitcoin to the wallet address. To spend it, you use the private key written on the paper to sign the spend transaction.

Like hardware wallets, paper wallets allow you to store bitcoin completely offline. This means that you can't use the generated address to receive or send money. So what is it suitable for? Protect Yourself with the Bitcoin Address Generator For one thing, you can use it to access websites that require a valid Bitcoin address.

With the Bitcoin address generator, you can supply a valid and unique address for access without giving out your actual Bitcoin address where you keep your actual cryptocurrency. Consider it an added layer of protection. Let's face it, we don't want to hand over our Bitcoin addresses to just anyone, even for access to services that we need.

By making use of our valid but completely fake Bitcoin addresses, nothing can be traced back to you and your electronic wallet stays safe. Use it for privacy It's also a great way to maintain privacy and to make sure that any real Bitcoin addresses are kept private until needed. These days, Bitcoin addresses are like gold mines for web hackers, especially since the value of cryptocurrency skyrocketed in the past five years.

A mere dollars worth of Bitcoins would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoins, so it's no surprise that having a Bitcoin address generator that offers valid but fake and untraceable Bitcoin addresses are becoming necessary. What's the best thing about the cryptocurrency address generator?

It's completely free! You can use it anytime you need it to protect yourself, your electronic wallet, and your cryptocurrency cache. Just visit the website and click generate and voila - you will have a QR code for a valid but fake Bitcoin address.