Generating and Verifying Bitcoin Addresses by Hand
When it comes to securing cryptocurrency transactions, generating a unique identifier known as a Bitcoin address is essential. However, manually calculating a Bitcoin public key from a private key can be a daunting task, especially for those new to cryptography. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to create a Bitcoin address on paper using your private key and verify it manually.
Understanding Bitcoin Addresses
A Bitcoin address consists of 34 characters, separated by spaces, hyphens, or dots. The format is as follows: m/0/m/1/.../42/. For this example, let’s use a simple public key: 3Ea9K5DfP1J8kNnF2Mq2X9UeKpJgQen7.
Step 1: Manually Calculate the Public Key from the Private Key
To generate a Bitcoin address manually, you need to calculate the public key using your private key. The process involves converting the private key into a hexadecimal string and then mapping each character to its corresponding public key value.
Here’s an example of how to do this for our simple public key 3Ea9K5DfP1J8kNnF2Mq2X9UeKpJgQen7:
- Convert the private key into a hexadecimal string:
3Ea9K5DfP1J8kNnF2Mq2X9UeKpJgQen7
- Map each character to its corresponding public key value:
* 3 maps to 3 (i.e., 00000101)
* E maps to 6 (i.e., 10001110)
* a maps to 1 (i.e., 00001011)
* 9 maps to 15 (i.e., 11111011)
* K maps to 19 (i.e., 10100101)
* 5 maps to 25 (i.e., 10001110)
* D maps to 23 (i.e., 10101001)
* f maps to 21 (i.e., 10101111)
* P maps to 17 (i.e., 11010101)
* 1 maps to 9 (i.e., 11100101)
* J maps to 15 (i.e., 11111011)
* 8 maps to 13 (i.e., 10001111)
* k maps to 21 (i.e., 10101011)
* N maps to 5 (i.e., 10100101)
* n maps to 7 (i.e., 11101111)
* F maps to 9 (i.e., 11100101)
* 2 maps to 14 (i.e., 10011010)
* M maps to 19 (i.e., 10101001)
* q maps to 1 (i.e., 00001011)
* 2 maps to 12 (i.e., 11100111)
* X maps to 23 (i.e., 10101011)
* 9 maps to 25 (i.e., 10001110)
* e maps to 4 (i.e., 00010101)
* K maps to 19 (i.e., 10101001)
* p maps to 17 (i.e., 11010101)
* J maps to 15 (i.e., 11111011)
* a maps to 1 (i.e., 00001011)
* g maps to 3 (i.e., 00000101)
* Q maps to 23 (i.e., 10101011)
* e maps to 4 (i.e., 00010101)
* n maps to 5 (i.e., 10100101)
* 7 maps to 13 (i.e., 10001111)
* d maps to 19 (i.e., 10101001)
* f maps to 21 (i.e., 10101111)
* 1 maps to 9 (i.e., 11100101)
* J maps to 15 (i.e., 11111011)
* 8 maps to 13 (i.e., 10001111)
* k maps to 21 (i.e., 10101011)
* N maps to 5 (i.e., 10100101)
* n maps to 7 (i.e., 11101111)
* F maps to 9 (i.e., 11100101)
* 2 maps to 14 (i.e., 10011010)
* M maps to 19 (i.e., 10101001)
* q maps to 1 (i.e., 00001011)
* 2 maps to 12 (i.e., 11100111)
* X maps to 23 (i.e., 10101011)
* 9 maps to 25 (i.e., 10001110)
* e maps to 4 (i.e., 00010101)
* K maps to 19 (i.e., 10101001)
* p maps to 17 (i.e., 11010101)
* J maps to 15 (i.e., 11111011)
* a maps to 1 (i.e., 00001011)
* g maps to 3 (i.e., 00000101)
* Q maps to 23 (i.e., 10101011)
- Concatenate the hexadecimal string:
003E9K5DfP1J8kNnF2Mq2X9UeKpJgQen7
Step 2: Verify Your Hand-Generated Address
To verify your hand-generated address, you can use online Bitcoin wallets or tools that support verification. Alternatively, you can manually convert the hexadecimal string back to a private key and re-enter it into your private key.
For this example, let’s assume you’ve generated a new public key using your original private key: 3Ea9K5DfP1J8kNnF2Mq2X9UeKpJgQen7. You can verify your hand-generated address by re-entering the hexadecimal string into your private key.
