Address

In simple terms, a blockchain address works like a digital address, similar to your home address or a website URL, but on the blockchain. It is a unique string of letters and numbers used to identify a specific wallet. This address allows users to send or receive digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies.

Every blockchain has its version of wallet addresses. These are typically long strings of random text that may seem confusing to humans but are easily processed by computer networks.

For example:

• A Bitcoin address might look like this: 1CKa7k7RtaV4TRRcnjciVndBS8hNG1G9ip
• An Ethereum address could look like this: 0x77dce4813eC15650e57E1b999c197aad00bEc1c2

Because most blockchains are public, anyone can view the amount and type of digital assets a wallet contains. However, this is not true for private blockchains or privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Monero, which keep wallet details hidden.

Cryptocurrency wallet addresses are usually anonymous since no personal information is required to create one. But they aren’t entirely private. Some wallet addresses are publicly linked to specific individuals or organizations.

For example, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has addresses publicly tied to him, and some Bitcoin addresses with large BTC holdings are believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto.

Public blockchains can be tracked by anyone using specialized tools or software, which monitor the inflow and outflow of digital assets in wallets. This transparency is a key feature of most blockchains but also raises privacy concerns for some users.