Keys & Addresses
Private Keys and Addresses: Formats Explained
Every address you receive funds on comes from a private key, and on modern wallets every private key comes from a seed phrase. These guides show what each format looks like, from Base58 WIF strings and Bech32 addresses to EVM addresses and encrypted JSON keystores, and how to convert between them safely.
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Keys & Addresses
Private Key Export: MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Ledger, Electrum
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- BIP38 Encrypted Private Keys: 6P Format and How to Decrypt
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An Ethereum keystore file, or JSON wallet, holds one private key encrypted with a password via scrypt or PBKDF2 and AES-128-CTR. Fields, wallets, Python code.
- EVM Address Format Explained: Structure & Usage
An EVM address is 0x plus 40 hex characters: the last 20 bytes of the Keccak-256 hash of a secp256k1 public key, with an EIP-55 checksum.
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PDF documents on this topic
All 18 printable explainers on this topic, including the PDF archive, newest first.
- Bitcoin Private Key Structure and Security Essentials
- What a Change Address Is and Why Wallets Create One · October 15, 2026
A change address receives the leftover balance from a spent UTXO using an internal derivation path to preserve user privacy.
- Satoshi's Coins and the Dormant-Wallet Timeline · March 11, 2026
Technical analysis of early Patoshi P2PK coinbase outputs, dormancy timelines, and their exposure to quantum cryptanalysis.
- Sui Private Keys and Recovery · November 1, 2025
- How Ledger Wallets Store Solana Private Keys Offline · October 30, 2025
Whenever you use a crypto wallet directly on an internet-connected device (such as any hot wallet), you are vulnerable to malware.
- Public vs Private Keys: Litecoin · October 29, 2025
Public and Private Keys in Cryptocurrency Well, private and public keys are integral for public blockchains to operate.
- Worldcoin and HEX Private Keys · October 28, 2025
Worldcoin, launched in 2023, uses a biometric system called World ID that verifies users through iris scans using a device called an Orb.
- The Best Bitcoin Wallets in 2025 · October 27, 2025
- Raw Hex Private Keys: 64 Characters and Valid Range · October 26, 2025
A technical reference on 64-character hex secp256k1 private keys, the curve order n, boundary constraints, and notation rules.
- Managing Private Keys · October 25, 2025
- Use BlueWallet with Keystone 3 Pro: Bitcoin Setup Guide · March 25, 2025
How to pair a Keystone 3 Pro hardware wallet with BlueWallet, choose a Bitcoin address type and sign transactions by QR code. Example WIF-format private keys follow.
- Use SushiSwap with Keystone 3 Pro and MetaMask · March 25, 2025
How to connect a Keystone 3 Pro hardware wallet to MetaMask, open SushiSwap and approve its access to your assets. Example hex-format Ethereum private keys follow.
- How Bitcoin Works: Blocks, Proof-of-Work and Private Keys · March 24, 2025
How Bitcoin's chain of blocks, proof-of-work, capped supply and longest-chain consensus work, and how private keys and addresses fit in. Example WIF-format keys follow.
- How Ethereum Works: Proof of Stake, Gas and Private Keys · March 24, 2025
An overview of Ethereum: proof-of-stake validators, gas and EIP-1559 fee burning, hex private keys and addresses, ERC token standards and layer-2 rollups. Example hex-format keys follow.
- Bitcoin Private Keys: Range, WIF and Hex Formats · March 23, 2025
The valid range of Bitcoin private keys on secp256k1, how WIF and hex encode a 32-byte key, how a key becomes an address and how to store keys safely. Example WIF-format keys follow.
- Ethereum Private Keys: Format, Range and Representation · March 23, 2025
The range of Ethereum private keys, their 64-character hex form, how Keccak-256 turns a key into an EIP-55 address, keystore JSON files and HD derivation paths. Example hex-format keys follow.
- Bitcoin Private Keys in Trust Wallet: Export and Import · March 22, 2025
What a Bitcoin private key is, how Trust Wallet derives keys from one BIP39 phrase, how to export and import a WIF key and what to do if it is exposed. Example WIF-format keys follow.
- Ethereum Private Keys in Trust Wallet: Export and Import · March 22, 2025
What an Ethereum private key is, how Trust Wallet derives keys from one BIP39 phrase, how to export and import a hex key and what to do if it is exposed. Example hex-format keys follow.