How Bitcoin Private Keys Work
Every blockchain address has both a public key and a private key.
PDF document · Published
Open the PDF (8 pages, 115 KB)
Contents
- Bitcoin Private Keys
- How Does a Private Key Work?
- What Do Private Keys Look Like?
Guides on the same subject
- Bitcoin Private Key Format: WIF, Base58 and Hex Explained
A Bitcoin private key is a 256-bit number, usually shown in WIF: Base58 with a version byte, compression flag and checksum. Encoding steps and test vectors.
- Seed Phrase vs Private Key: What's the Difference?
A seed phrase backs up a whole HD wallet; a private key controls one address. See how words become keys, what each restores and which to back up.
- xpub, ypub and zpub: Extended Public Keys Explained
What xpub, ypub and zpub mean: how an extended public key works, which address type each prefix stands for, how to convert them and why to keep them private.
One of the documents in the Private Key PDF Archive, listed on archive page 2.