Crypto glossary
Crypto address (wallet address)
A crypto address is a string of letters and numbers, derived from a public key, that identifies where coins or tokens can be sent on a blockchain.
An address works like an account number for receiving funds. A wallet creates it from a public key, which in turn comes from the private key that controls the funds, so sharing an address is safe. Formats depend on the chain: Bitcoin addresses start with 1, 3 or bc1, while Ethereum and EVM chains use 0x followed by 40 hexadecimal characters.
Wallets can generate many addresses, and Bitcoin wallets usually give a fresh one for each payment to improve privacy. On Ethereum one address typically holds ETH and all tokens and is reused across many chains. Services such as ENS map readable names to addresses, and explorers show each address's full history.
Transactions sent to a wrong address are usually lost for good, so copy addresses carefully and check more than the first and last characters, since scammers create look-alike addresses. Also confirm the network: the same 0x address on another chain may be unsupported by the recipient.
Example
Before sending 2,000 USDT, a user sends a 1 USDT test to the exchange's deposit address 0x4b1a…92Cf on the right network, then sends the rest once it arrives.
Related terms
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