is bitcoin address the same as Public key ?

[simplyred]

is bitcoin address the same as Public key in my wallet's ?

thanks for any help i need it, i have tried to google this but did not understand this.

[KylesmomisaB]

Afaik yes your public key is the display BTC address. Your private key is the one that gives you access to all your coins even if you lose access to your wallet. Never disclose your private keys ever!

[exstasie]

is bitcoin address the same as Public key in my wallet's ?

thanks for any help i need it, i have tried to google this but did not understand this.

Not exactly. See this article on the Bitcoin Wiki, specifically the section titled "How to create Bitcoin Address."

Bitcoin uses public-key cryptography. A private key is used to sign transactions, and the public key verifies that signatures are valid. For each "Bitcoin address" in your wallet, a public/private keypair is generated. Specifically, the address is a hash of the associated public key:

A Bitcoin address is a 160-bit hash of the public portion of a public/private ECDSA keypair.

So this private key --

18E14A7B6A307F426A94F8114701E7C8E774E7F9A47E2C2035DB29A206321725

-- corresponds with this public key --

0450863AD64A87AE8A2FE83C1AF1A8403CB53F53E486D8511DAD8A04887E5B23522CD470243453A 299FA9E77237716103ABC11A1DF38855ED6F2EE187E9C582BA6

-- which goes through five rounds of hashing, has a checksum added, and is converted into a base58 string to produce this Bitcoin address:

16UwLL9Risc3QfPqBUvKofHmBQ7wMtjvM

[odolvlobo]

is bitcoin address the same as Public key in my wallet's ?

No, though many people confuse the two. A Bitcoin address is a base-58 encoding of a hash of a public key.

More specifically:
1. Determine the public key from the private key.
2. Hash the public key using SHA-256 to get a 256-bit value.
3. Hash the result of #2 with RIPEMD-160 to get a 160-bit value.
4. Encode the result of #3 using base-58 encoding scheme to produce a Bitcoin address.

[MS DEBANSHU]

Yes, your bitcoin is the public key.
For Example let assume you are in your bank and you have to send some money to your friend, so, you will need his account number. So, your bitcoin address acts like a account number in bitcoin system.

[odolvlobo]

Yes, your bitcoin is the public key.

I recommend that you read more before you post.

[HeRetiK]

is bitcoin address the same as Public key in my wallet's ?

thanks for any help i need it, i have tried to google this but did not understand this.

Not exactly. See this article on the Bitcoin Wiki, specifically the section titled "How to create Bitcoin Address."

Bitcoin uses public-key cryptography. A private key is used to sign transactions, and the public key verifies that signatures are valid. For each "Bitcoin address" in your wallet, a public/private keypair is generated. Specifically, the address is a hash of the associated public key:

[...]

is bitcoin address the same as Public key in my wallet's ?

No, though many people confuse the two. A Bitcoin address is a base-58 encoding of a hash of a public key.

[...]

To expand on those two posts:

Since your Bitcoin address is only an encoded hash of the public key, even your public key remains unknown until the first transaction from aforementioned address is made. Once you use a Bitcoin address to send coins, your public key gets published as well, which then allows nodes and miners to verify your outgoing transaction.


Put differently:

1) Your Bitcoin address is necessary for you to receive transactions (well of course it is)

2) Your public key is necessary for other parties to verify your outgoing transactions

3) Your private key (which you should never give away) is necessary for you to send outgoing transactions

[MintDice]

I know it can be confusing! Some people assume that they are the same...it's not the case, but they are mathematically related. A bitcoin wallet address is a hashed version of your public key.

Hope this helps!

[CryptoIntegrity]

It is very different...  Your address is just like your bank account number and your private key is like your password to access your account

[Thirdspace]

exstasie has given wiki link for btc address technical background
read it thoroughly and you will understand that Bitcoin Address != Public key
Public key is in hexadecimal (0-9A-F) format with standard length of 130 characters (or compressed, 66 characters)
Bitcoin Address or Public Address is in base58 string with length of 33-34 characters

[Ralph1075]

I have known them to be called private key, calling it a public key means it's can be seen by anyone,but i will advice you read well about that concerning the wallet before posting it on a public website.

[HodorHodl]

I have known them to be called private key, calling it a public key means it's can be seen by anyone,but i will advice you read well about that concerning the wallet before posting it on a public website.

A public key is the polar opposite of a private key. There should be no terminology issue here, no matter what language.

I have no idea what you are ultimately trying to say, but please don't confuse what is becoming a useful thread.

Having said that, your last advice was useful, in that people should most definitely read up on what they are posting.