Ethereum Addresses
Last updated
Last updated
Ethereum addresses are 40 hexadecimal characters long, excluding the "0x" prefix. This makes each address 20 bytes (160 bits) in length.
20 Bytes Long: An Ethereum address is derived from the last 20 bytes of the Keccak-256 hash of the public key.
160 Bits: This length provides a vast address space, which helps avoid address collisions and enhances security.
When you got your first Ethereum address, you mostly likely used a tool like MetaMask or a Ledger which gave you a Seed Phrase
. But that Seed Phrase
is a string of 12-24 words, so how does that relate to your address?
The specific words chosen matter, and the details of how they work can be found here:
Seed Phrase
twin galaxy such vague current rhythm about laundry upset fatigue fragile whisper
Private Key Base 2 (Binary)
1010011111101000000011001001111010101100011110010111100010000101110010101101100011010110101111011111101010100110011000111110000100101111100100011101110101100100001110101100000000011111111100111000111001010010111110011100110000110101110010010010010100011011
Private Key Hexadecimal
0xa7e80c9eac797885cad8d6bdfaa663e12f91dd643ac01ff38e52f9cc35c9251b
Generate a Private Key. This is a random 256-bit number. For simplicity, let's use a hexadecimal representation:
Generate the Public Key. The public key is derived from the private key using Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), specifically the secp256k1 curve. The resulting public key is a 512-bit number (128 hexadecimal characters):
Keccak-256 Hash of the Public Key. Ethereum uses the Keccak-256 hash function (a variant of SHA-3) to hash the public key. Note that only the x and y coordinates of the public key (excluding the initial '0x04' byte) are hashed.
Ethereum Address. The Ethereum address is derived from the last 20 bytes of the Keccak-256 hash.
A single Seed Phrase
can be used to generate a nearly infinite number of Ethereum addresses. Those addresses are generated using a specific hierarchical deterministic derivation path explained in great detail .