Bitcoin Address vs Public Key please i need clarifications

[Chifather247]

Hello everyone, please i have a question borthering me as a newbie . What's the difference between a Bitcoin address and a public key? I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

[Chibit01]

Hello everyone, please i have a question borthering me as a newbie . What's the difference between a Bitcoin address and a public key? I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

A simple search would have helped you find all the answer to both question you are asking by creating multiple thread. That is the use of the forum search feature.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5565858.0

The public key is generated by the private key.

The private key can generate the public key and the address.

The public key can only generate the address.

The address can not generate the public key.

For payment, you will give your bitcoin address to people, not public key.

The bitcoin public key starts from 02 or 03 or the old 04. Bitcoin address starts from 1, 3 or bc1.

[Chifather247]

Thank you so much i just learnt it now i rely appreciate 🙏

[Mia Chloe]

Hello everyone, please i have a question borthering me as a newbie . What's the difference between a Bitcoin address and a public key? I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

To add to what you have on that thread take note that wallets today don't support sending coins directly to your public keys because of the privacy risk involved. When someone has your public keys it simply means they have a list of all your possible generator addresses under that private key.

Understand that addresses are derived from public keys and since HD wallets were made to avoid security flaws given out the public keys means there's no need for change addresses concealing transactions.

[promise444c5]

In addition..
Short exp: Bitcoin Address is an encoded hash of a public key, making it shorter and easier to use.

[Jewan420]

In simpler terms, the public key is the internal code of your wallet that helps verify the signature.

On the other hand, the address is the address of your wallet through which others can send money to your wallet. There is also a difference in length, one is long and the other is short.

[SeriouslyGiveaway]

Hello everyone, please i have a question borthering me as a newbie . What's the difference between a Bitcoin address and a public key? I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

[Guide] Bitcoin keys and addresses.

Bitcoin addresses can be used for receiving bitcoin, but it is like a mailbox at your home, you can receive it but if you don't have the home's key, you can not enter that house and can not send anything from the house to anywhere else.

https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/blob/develop/ch04_keys.adoc
https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/blob/develop/ch05_wallets.adoc

[Charles-Tim]

I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

Almost all wallets can not support this because the wallet developers know how vulnerable such coins can be from quantum computers in the future. The right way to receive coins is through the bitcoin address.

Short exp: Bitcoin Address is an encoded hash of a public key, making it shorter and easier to use.

Both are easier to use. It is just about copy and paste as long as a wallet is supporting it, but using public key is not advisable for security reason. In fact, wallets are not supporting it.

[hosemary]

To add to what you have on that thread take note that wallets today don't support sending coins directly to your public keys because of the privacy risk involved. When someone has your public keys it simply means they have a list of all your possible generator addresses under that private key.

It may be worth mentioning that once you make a transaction, your public key is revealed to the public and people can still know your public key.
So, it's not that if you give someone your address, they will never know your public key.

[Audrey Simmons]

Hello everyone, please i have a question borthering me as a newbie . What's the difference between a Bitcoin address and a public key? I know they're both used for receiving BTC, but what's  the difference please im so confused.

Advantage of using wallet address over public key, Bitcoin wallet is shorter than a public key, making it easier to copy and detect error when attacked by a clipboard malware, too many characters in a public wallet makes it hard to detect.

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

Advantage of using wallet address over public key, Bitcoin wallet is shorter than a public key, making it easier to copy and detect error when attacked by a clipboard malware, too many characters in a public wallet makes it hard to detect.

When people are making Bitcoin transactions, they must be very careful with their checks on Bitcoin addresses from both sides, senders and receivers. If any mistake makes by either sender or receiver, bitcoins might be sent to a wrong address that does not own by the receiver and the trade will be failed. Sender loses bitcoins while receiver does not receive it.

How to lose your Bitcoins with CTRL-C CTRL-V. The guide on how to prevent this can be very helpful for people practice with their bitcoins and Bitcoin transactions.

Be more knowledgeable, be more careful with Bitcoin transaction broadcast, as bitcoins are very precious, so don't lose any fraction of your bitcoins by any careless mistake.

[Zhongbencongdd]

I've encountered the same problem as you, but my Bitcoin address was created in 2008, and its character length and format are somewhat different from today's addresses. Could you please explain how to use this old address? (I still have the 2008 private key, but the original Bitcoin wallet is no longer available.)

[Noobguy]

Hello, welcome. This is actually a very good question. I will explain it in simple words.

A public key and a Bitcoin address are connected, but they are not the same thing.

The public key is the original cryptographic key that is created from your private key. It is a long string of letters and numbers, and it is used as part of the process to receive Bitcoin. But in most cases, people don’t use the public key directly.

The Bitcoin address is created from the public key. You can think of it like a shortened and safer version of the public key. It is what you normally share with others when you want to receive Bitcoin. For example, when someone sends you BTC, they send it to your Bitcoin address, not directly to your public key.

In simple words, the public key is the source, and the Bitcoin address is derived from it.

The reason Bitcoin uses addresses instead of public keys directly is mainly for security and convenience. The address is hashed from the public key, which adds an extra layer of protection. Also, addresses are shorter and easier to use.

One important thing to know is that your private key creates your public key, and your public key creates your Bitcoin address. So the private key is the most important one and must always be kept secret. The public key and address can be shared safely.

So the simple chain is like this:

Private key → Public key → Bitcoin address

I hope this makes it clear. This confusion is very normal when starting, so don’t worry.

If you want to know more, you can ask,and  I will try my best to help. Even in this forum, you can start a new topic. Anyone who have good idea or knowledge about that topic will try to solve or help.

[Noobguy]

I've encountered the same problem as you, but my Bitcoin address was created in 2008, and its character length and format are somewhat different from today's addresses. Could you please explain how to use this old address? (I still have the 2008 private key, but the original Bitcoin wallet is no longer available.)

Yes, this is a very interesting situation, and I will explain it clearly.

First, it is completely normal that older Bitcoin addresses look different from newer ones. In the early days of Bitcoin (2009–2012), most addresses were what we call **Legacy addresses**, and they usually start with the number **"1"**. For example, something like:

`1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa`

These addresses are longer and have a different format compared to modern addresses like SegWit (starting with **3**) or Bech32 (starting with **bc1**).

But the important thing is this: old addresses are still valid today. Bitcoin is designed to be backward compatible, so you can still receive Bitcoin on that old address without any problem.

However, there is something you need to understand. You don’t really “use” the address itself. What matters is whether you still have access to the private key or the wallet that created that address. The address is just the public identifier. The private key is what gives you control over the Bitcoin.

So here are the possible situations:

If you still have the wallet file (for example, wallet.dat) or the private key, you can import it into a modern wallet like Electrum, and you will be able to access and use your Bitcoin normally.

If you only have the address but do NOT have the private key or wallet, then unfortunately, you cannot access or spend the Bitcoin. The address alone is not enough.

Also, old legacy addresses can still receive Bitcoin, but transaction fees may be slightly higher compared to newer formats like bc1 addresses. That’s why many people move their funds to modern wallets for better efficiency.

In simple words, your old address is still usable and valid. The only thing that matters is whether you have the private key or wallet access. If you have that, you are safe. If not, the address cannot be controlled.

[Zhongbencongdd]

My account level is insufficient to create a new topic, so I can only follow up here. How can I use my 2008 Bitcoin address and private key in the latest Bitcoin wallet? Sorry to bother you.

[Zhongbencongdd]

I've encountered the same problem as you, but my Bitcoin address was created in 2008, and its character length and format are somewhat different from today's addresses. Could you please explain how to use this old address? (I still have the 2008 private key, but the original Bitcoin wallet is no longer available.)

Yes, this is a very interesting situation, and I will explain it clearly.

First, it is completely normal that older Bitcoin addresses look different from newer ones. In the early days of Bitcoin (2009–2012), most addresses were what we call **Legacy addresses**, and they usually start with the number **"1"**. For example, something like:

`1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa`

These addresses are longer and have a different format compared to modern addresses like SegWit (starting with **3**) or Bech32 (starting with **bc1**).

But the important thing is this: old addresses are still valid today. Bitcoin is designed to be backward compatible, so you can still receive Bitcoin on that old address without any problem.

However, there is something you need to understand. You don’t really “use” the address itself. What matters is whether you still have access to the private key or the wallet that created that address. The address is just the public identifier. The private key is what gives you control over the Bitcoin.

So here are the possible situations:

If you still have the wallet file (for example, wallet.dat) or the private key, you can import it into a modern wallet like Electrum, and you will be able to access and use your Bitcoin normally.

If you only have the address but do NOT have the private key or wallet, then unfortunately, you cannot access or spend the Bitcoin. The address alone is not enough.

Also, old legacy addresses can still receive Bitcoin, but transaction fees may be slightly higher compared to newer formats like bc1 addresses. That’s why many people move their funds to modern wallets for better efficiency.

In simple words, your old address is still usable and valid. The only thing that matters is whether you have the private key or wallet access. If you have that, you are safe. If not, the address cannot be controlled.

Thank you for your detailed reply. My situation is quite unique: my Bitcoin address and private key were actually created all the way back in 2008, before the official launch of Bitcoin in 2009. I only recently recalled that I had this old wallet, but I'm completely lost on how to access it now. The address format from 2008 is very different from what's used today, and there have been so many changes and updates to the protocol and wallet software over the years that I'm not sure where to start.