commits branch releases contributors Latest commit dcfc3b9 Feb 3, 2013 Merge pull request #8 from slothbag/slothdev Permalink README This project has two dependencies: 1. the BouncyCastle Crypto library.ThoughtWorks QRCode DLL /csharp/ (just the compiled assembly is fine).Jump to: , A private key in the context of Bitcoin is a secret number that allows bitcoins to be spent.Every Bitcoin wallet contains one or more private keys, which are saved in the wallet file.The private keys are mathematically related to all Bitcoin addresses generated for the wallet.Because the private key is the "ticket" that allows someone to spend bitcoins, it is important that these are kept secure.Private keys can be kept on computer files, but in some cases are also short enough that they can be printed on paper.Some wallets allow private keys to be imported without generating any transactions while other wallets or services require that the private key be swept.

When a private key is swept, a transaction is broadcast that sends the balance controlled by the private key to a new address in the wallet.Just as with any other transaction, there is risk of swept transactions to be double-spending.In contrast, bitcoind provides a facility to import a private key without creating a sweep transaction.This is considered very dangerous, and not intended to be used even by power users or experts except in very specific cases.Bitcoins can be easily stolen at any time, from a wallet which has imported an untrusted or otherwise insecure private key - this can include private keys generated offline and never seen by someone else[1][2].Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In Bitcoin, a private key is usually a 256-bit number (some newer wallets may use between 128 and 512 bits), which can be represented one of several ways.Here is a private key in hexadecimal - 256 bits in hexadecimal is 32 bytes, or 64 characters in the range 0-9 or A-F. Nearly every 256-bit number is a valid ECDSA private key.

Specifically, any 256-bit number from 0x1 to 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4140 is a valid private key.The range of valid private keys is governed by the secp256k1 ECDSA standard used by Bitcoin.litecoin feb 2014Newer wallets may use BIP 32 seeds for their private keys, which can be as long as 512 bits.bitcoin mt4 tradingWhen importing or sweeping ECDSA private keys, a shorter format known as wallet import format is often used, which offers a few advantages.bitcoin dragons denThe wallet import format is shorter, and includes built-in error checking codes so that typos can be automatically detected and/or corrected (which is impossible in hex format) and type bits indicating how it is intended to be used.litecoin to brl

Wallet import format is the most common way to represent private keys in Bitcoin.For private keys associated with uncompressed public keys, they are 51 characters and always start with the number 5 on mainnet (9 on testnet).ethereum kurs euroPrivate keys associated with compressed public keys are 52 characters and start with a capital L or K on mainnet (c on testnet).boutique bitcoin parisThis is the same private key in (mainnet) wallet import format: When a WIF private key is imported, it always corresponds to exactly one Bitcoin address.Any utility which performs the conversion can display the matching Bitcoin address.The mathematical conversion is somewhat complex and best left to a computer, but it's notable that the WIF guarantees it will always correspond to the same address no matter which program is used to convert it.The Bitcoin address implemented using the sample above is: 1CC3X2gu58d6wXUWMffpuzN9JAfTUWu4Kj Some applications use the mini private key format.

Not every private key or Bitcoin address has a corresponding mini private key - they have to be generated a certain way in order to ensure a mini private key exists for an address.The mini private key is used for applications where space is critical, such as in QR codes and in physical bitcoins.The above example has a mini key, which is: Any Bitcoins sent to the address 1CC3X2gu58d6wXUWMffpuzN9JAfTUWu4Kj can be spent by anybody who knows the private key implementing it in any of the three formats, regardless of when the bitcoins were sent, unless the wallet receiving them has since made use of the coins generated.The private key is only needed to spend the bitcoins, not necessarily to see the value of them.If a private key controlling unspent bitcoins is compromised or stolen, the value can only be protected if it is immediately spent to a different output which is secure.Because bitcoins can only be spent once, when they are spent using a private key, the private key becomes worthless.

It is often possible, but inadvisable and insecure, to use the address implemented by the private key again, in which case the same private key would be reused._ Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question Anybody can answer The best answers are voted up and rise to the top up vote down vote favorite and the last tab there is a place to enter a private key and it shows the various formats of public and private keys.It is strange to me that the public key can either be 33 Base58 or 130 Base16.It doesn't seem right, especially since the private key is 51 Base58 or 64 Base16 which makes sense.Here is a printscreen: Bitcoin Address (33 or 34 characters, starts with a '1'): 1EHNa6Q4Jz2uvNExL497mE43ikXhwF6kZm Public Key (130 characters [0-9A-F]): 0479BE667EF9DCBBAC55A06295CE870B07029BFCDB2DCE28D959F2815B16F8179 8483ADA7726A3C4655DA4FBFC0E1108A8FD17B448A68554199C47D08FFB10D4B8 Private Key Hexadecimal Format (64 characters [0-9A-F]): XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX encoding private-key up vote down vote Bitcoin private keys are 32 bytes, but are often stored in their full OpenSSL-serialized form of 279 bytes.

They are serialized as 51 base58 characters, or 64 hex characters.Bitcoin public keys (traditionally) are 65 bytes (the first of which is 0x04).They are typically encoded as 130 hex characters.Bitcoin compressed public keys (as of 0.6.0) are 33 bytes (the first of which is 0x02 or 0x03).They are typically encoded as 66 hex characters.Bitcoin addresses are RIPEMD160(SHA256(pubkey)), 20 bytes.They are typically encoded as 34 base58 characters.up vote 7 down vote Your public key is 65 bytes of data: A leading 0x04 byte followed by 32 bytes for the X coordinate and 32 bytes for the Y coordinate of the point it represents.It takes 130 hex characters at 4 bits per character to display the full key.Your bitcoin address is a hash of your public key.It's a little more complex than that, involving multiple hashes and a built-in checksum, but that's basically true.It's not possible to get from your bitcoin address to your public key.There are many public keys which have the same bitcoin address.