What’s the major difference between adresss and public key?

[BitMaxz]

Your explanation is more clearly and understandable but if you can show examples of all the differences, it will be better to understand the difference with screenshots and explanations. This is benefiting most of us here. Because I was also thinking that the address I displayed in this forum or the one I use in receiving coins is the address and I don't know where I can get the public key. For more understanding, expand it for us.

Actually, both of them are public keys; the standard one is the shortened version of the public key.

The public key is not widely used; you need to use the standard BTC address. Don't focus too much on long public keys unless you need them for something; they're supposed to not be shared with anyone. 

If you want some more explanation about this, the link is already shared above, or go here: https://learnmeabitcoin.com/technical/keys/public-key/hash/

[Churchillvv]

This topic has been discussed a lot in the past and you may be able to get your answers from that thread.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5499462.msg64193874#msg64193874

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5350111.msg57499874#msg57499874

I know this questions have been asked many times but if this is a genuine newbie, then allow him or her to express himself.

i guess moderator must have seen this and didn't delete it!! it has been a long time i saw a newbie ask this kind of question and personally i love real human discussion rather than those AI topics.
the catch: just allow the question of the op is genuine in due time he will learn form the correct sources you and others referenced.

[coinlary]

Your explanation is more clearly and understandable but if you can show examples of all the differences, it will be better to understand the difference with screenshots and explanations. This is benefiting most of us here. Because I was also thinking that the address I displayed in this forum or the one I use in receiving coins is the address and I don't know where I can get the public key. For more understanding, expand it for us.]

There's no other address differet to the one you receive sats on, only the type of script can differ.

Use the link that Cricktor posted learnmeabitcoin.com/technical/script, go through the entire scripts, it covers enough including graphical data and tools that you can also use for testing out  what was explained on a script page.

The easiest way you can use to access your public key is to use a wallet that can derive it from your private key and display it to you.

Try Electrum, visit the address tab and double-click an address you should be able to access and copy its pub. key.
Apparently, the pub. key of an address of any script type is usually visible once you spend from it(some are visible before), and you can see that by visiting any transaction on any block explorer.

You can't be spoon-fed everything, you need to actually do alot of research your self and ask questions if you want to understand it better

[khaled0111]

As I've expected. This thread has been here for more than ten days and op got all the answers he was looking for, from the first comments. But for some reason, some members like to bump this thread (and the like) for no reason as there isn’t much that can be added to what have been said already.
I think there was a user who created a topic in which he created a list of all the important and informative threads. Anyone who wants to ask about something need to read that topic first to see if his question has already been answered and to avoid creating duplicate threads.

[satscraper]

The simplest definition is that a Bitcoin address is a hashed version of a public key (which can be shared safely) whereas the public key itself is a cryptographic key generated from the private key.

It doesn't hold for all types of Bitcoin addresses. For example, both Taproot and multisig addresses are no longer part of the group ^{their calculations are a bit different}.

I would suggest the simplest way for people who aren't technically savvy to think of Bitcoin address as the smart tag to their public key, with the tag depending on the type of wallet they use.

[Perfectbaby]

As I've expected. This thread has been here for more than ten days and op got all the answers he was looking for, from the first comments. But for some reason, some members like to bump this thread (and the like) for no reason. Maybe, they just want to increase their post count!

I think the reason why is not locked now is for the purpose of other newbies to read through because if this thread is locked it wouldn’t appear on the first page like this, and you know another newbie could likely asked same question over and over again.
As I know there are some questions that are being asked here that are already existing because they were locked and those questions automatically moved down and some of them are to lazy to make simple search before asking questions.

[9ja Amaka]

This thread should be locked by now. Not only has this question been asked and answered in separate threads created before now, but this topic has received the answer it needed. The OP has nothing left to learn. Leaving it open will accommodate spam and unnecessary discussion.

[Mia Chloe]

With modern wallets, you have a master private key that generates other private keys for each individual address and the master public key which generates other public keys that hashes their individual addresses. Using just the master public key, you'll be able to only watch the addresses generated from it and create raw transaction files, but cannot sign transactions.
Anytime you spend from an address the public key is exposed, but if you have never spent from it, it stays "private".

Just to add to this quantum attacks claim to be kinda backwards compatible. However as for the master public keys, it's the best alternative to use if you are looking to have a watch only wallet.

If you make use of just a single wallet address if you make a transaction since the funds gets split to the change addresses you'll end up with an empty balance on your watch only wallet end. Also you can isolate an address with the child key of the address only too.

[Sammye3]

This thread should be locked by now. Not only has this question been asked and answered in separate threads created before now, but this topic has received the answer it needed. The OP has nothing left to learn. Leaving it open will accommodate spam and unnecessary discussion.

Exactly my thoughts, the difference is clear and if there is anything more to know, there are many threads already on the topic so it is quite unnecessary discussing one topic over and over again. OP seems to have the answer to his question and does not need any more clarity, newbies could so visit this thread https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631151.msg16405643#msg16405643

[davetremblay]

in my small thought they are the same but it’s just different way of representation since they are all derived from the private key they should also mean the same thing.

They aren't the same. The public keys are generated from the private keys, while the address is hashed from the public key with none of these processes being backwards compatible.

With modern wallets, you have a master private key that generates other private keys for each individual address and the master public key which generates other public keys that hashes their individual addresses. Using just the master public key, you'll be able to only watch the addresses generated from it and create raw transaction files, but cannot sign transactions.
Anytime you spend from an address the public key is exposed, but if you have never spent from it, it stays "private".

Your explanation is more clearly and understandable but if you can show examples of all the differences, it will be better to understand the difference with screenshots and explanations. This is benefiting most of us here. Because I was also thinking that the address I displayed in this forum or the one I use in receiving coins is the address and I don't know where I can get the public key. For more understanding, expand it for us.

one small thing that may help here is that an address is not always simply a hash of a public key. that works as a simple explanation for p2pkh and p2wpkh but other address types like p2sh and p2wsh can represent scripts while taproot works differently again

you normally dont need to see or share the raw public key so most wallets hide it from the normal interface. the wallet derives it for you from your private key and then creates the address you actually use. also be careful with sharing an xpub because unlike a normal address it can reveal many addresses belonging to the same wallet

[Vlatlume]

I’m new here, I tried reading a few technical side of the bitcoin which really was interesting to me, but some few things got me confused. in my reading I tried as much as possible to understand the difference between addresses and public key, in my small thought they are the same but it’s just different way of representation since they are all derived from the private key they should also mean the same thing.
Please I’ll like to know if I’m on the on the right track with what I’ve learnt so far? And will also like to know the major differences between the public key and address if there really is any.

you could focus on the practical difference of the two. a bitcoin address is what you share to receive btc while public key is used in cryptography that helps prove control  of the coins. one important detail is that bitcoin address is usually derived from a public key or a hash of a public key so they arent exactly the same thing. also some bitcoin outputs use scripts rather than a simple public key setup.

[Queen uloma]

For me I will say that they’re not the same thing public keys are totally different from bitcoin address. Public key comes from private key, while bitcoin address are been derived from public key or any related key data, depending on the address type. Your address is what you give to someone to receive bitcoin, while public key is something that has to do with cryptographic system that helps to verify transactions.

[Karl_3000]

you could focus on the practical difference of the two. a bitcoin address is what you share to receive btc while public key is used in cryptography that helps prove control  of the coins.

This is not true at all, the private key is what that is used to prove the control of coins as you will use it to spend the coin and also use it to prove that an address belong to you.

while public key is something that has to do with cryptographic system that helps to verify transactions.

Nodes are what that are used to verifying transactions, it is not the public key.

[Plutomanian]

I’m new here, I tried reading a few technical side of the bitcoin which really was interesting to me, but some few things got me confused. in my reading I tried as much as possible to understand the difference between addresses and public key, in my small thought they are the same but it’s just different way of representation since they are all derived from the private key they should also mean the same thing.
Please I’ll like to know if I’m on the on the right track with what I’ve learnt so far? And will also like to know the major differences between the public key and address if there really is any.

OP is definitely on right track and trying to understand something crucial here. There's no harm in learning because we learn everyday of our lives and the things we don't understand, we clearly asked questions and get enlightened with everything we're curious about. The public key and address is marginally related because they're important for Bitcoin. The public key is very important because it's been part of the sector where we use it to derived address which will be used in crypto. It's also the part background of cryptographic procedures in the system.

[JiiBs]

Actually, both of them are public keys; the standard one is the shortened version of the public key.

It was a tricky question for sure, simple but tricky. Perhaps that was due to the fact that, I’ve seen a similar thread previously and had to run through the thread if I did have anything on this thread.
Without reading between the lines, one would assume it was a comparison between private and public keys even with the word “address” looking you in the face.

I maintain that, they are more of the same, they are the means to receiving cryptocurrency and allowing the public to view what you’ve got as balance.

[BitMaxz]

It was a tricky question for sure, simple but tricky. Perhaps that was due to the fact that, I’ve seen a similar thread previously and had to run through the thread if I did have anything on this thread.
Without reading between the lines, one would assume it was a comparison between private and public keys even with the word “address” looking you in the face.

I maintain that, they are more of the same, they are the means to receiving cryptocurrency and allowing the public to view what you’ve got as balance.

I don't think it would be tricky by just checking a few characters at the beginning of addresses. They are totally different; the shortened version of addresses only starts with 1, 3, and bc1. If it's beyond that, then that's not a public address, or it might be a public address but in a longer version.

In my past experience it was actually confusing, but wallets usually give the BTC address in a shortened version; they never give you the public address unless you check the address itself.

[OcTradism]

I don't think it would be tricky by just checking a few characters at the beginning of addresses. They are totally different; the shortened version of addresses only starts with 1, 3, and bc1. If it's beyond that, then that's not a public address, or it might be a public address but in a longer version.

In my past experience it was actually confusing, but wallets usually give the BTC address in a shortened version; they never give you the public address unless you check the address itself.

Bitcoin public addresses are shortened versions of Bitcoin public keys which are longer.
List of Bitcoin address prefixes.
Bitcoin address types explained: 1, 3, bc1p, bc1q.

    Addresses starting with 1 — Legacy
    Addresses starting with 3 — Nested SegWit
    Addresses starting with bc1q — Native SegWit
    Addresses starting with bc1p — Taproot

[AVE5]

It's actually confusing for someone who is just starting their journey. As seen from the previous posts above mine, links have been provided where similar things were discussed in the past. You're not alone on this and I believe we are going to see similar question again in the future.

And if only the newbies would had read the guides in the forum before posting, I'm sure they wouldn't make such repetitions of asking questions that has already been sorted in the past.
To get it right you just need to navigate through the search button to know if the discussion in the mind or at hand has existed or treated here before.

If you can tell that both the public key and address come from the private key, then you are not that far again from spotting the difference. Your public key and address are not the same thing and they of course serve different purposes.

You're probably being observant to think that Op can actually find his way out here because, if he can actually differentiate between the address and public keys, then there's little if not non to celebrate about again.
Maybe just in case he's not confident to himself, then he should be let known that he's on the right track.
Perhaps both public keys and address are all routed from the private keys while they serve differently.

[JunaidAzizi]

I saw many posts here in this thread, and everyone explained it in their own simple way. However, I think that it will not be so easy for you to understand addresses and the public key. A simple understanding is that both are derived from the private keys. The public key shows that you are the only one who can control and send the money, while the address is the way you can receive the money. Both are two different things. I hope that you can understand this simple and easy explanation.

[heyhay]

As I've expected. This thread has been here for more than ten days and op got all the answers he was looking for, from the first comments. But for some reason, some members like to bump this thread (and the like) for no reason as there isn’t much that can be added to what have been said already.

This thread should be locked by now. Not only has this question been asked and answered in separate threads created before now, but this topic has received the answer it needed. The OP has nothing left to learn. Leaving it open will accommodate spam and unnecessary discussion.

No. Lots of posts != question answered.

Most of the answers are flat-out wrong. Confusion about basic cryptographic terminology is rampant, even among people who have been using Bitcoin for many years.

Only a few of the answers were technically accurate. Forum rank does not matter; #15 by a Legendary (Cricktor) and #30 by a Newbie (davetremblay) are both accurate, while #21 by a Legendary (BitMaxz) is wildly inaccurate and miseducational in a way that will be difficult for a beginner to unlearn later.

I randomly selected this topic, to spot-check the quality of the board. On review, I do not think that any answer so far is accurate and sufficient and accessible to a nontechnical new user.