What is the relation between the bitcoin address and the corresponding private key?

2

Just wondering how do get the address given that we store only a public key? What is the relation between them? Is address a simple hash of private key? If yes, what hashing algorithm is used?

ghalways

Posted 2014-01-28T19:32:45.087

Reputation: 973

Question was closed 2014-02-09T01:40:24.690

Answers

6

A Bitcoin address is a hash of the public key. The Bitcoin wiki explains the exact (complicated) procedure in great detail. In brief, it involves hashing the public key and includes a checksum. The private key and public key are mathematically related.

  • If you have the private key, you can easily calculate the public key and address.
  • If you have the public key, you can easily calculate the address, but not the private key.
  • If you have the address, you cannot calculate either key.

Tim S.

Posted 2014-01-28T19:32:45.087

Reputation: 4 159

Asked: 2014-01-28T19:32:45.087

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Active: 2014-01-29T00:07:48.097