One secret authorizes; public information helps others verify.
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A secret signing stamp and a publicly checkable impression have different jobs. Verification should not require handing over the stamp.
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From a public address to a verified signatureStep 1 / 4
An address is public receiving information. It is not the private key that authorizes actions.
An address is public receiving information. It is not the private key that authorizes actions.The local signing system uses secret authorization material. It produces a signature; the private key is not sent along with it.A verifier checks the signed request under the account’s rules. A valid signature does not by itself prove that the action is safe.Balances belong to network state. A wallet is an interface and signing system, not a box containing coins.
Animated local teaching model. No wallet, RPC or live blockchain data. Some labels and hashes are abbreviated for readability.
The private key is authorization material
For a traditional externally owned account, a private key is used to create digital signatures. Someone with that key can attempt to authorize actions for the account. Keep it out of websites and ordinary messages.
The public key is derived
A public key is mathematically related to the private key. The design makes deriving the public key practical while recovering the private key from the public key is intended to be infeasible with suitable security assumptions.
An address is another representation
An ordinary Ethereum address is derived from public-key information through a hashing convention. It is not the full public key and is not the private key. Contract addresses can arise through different creation rules.
Follow the signature, not the secret
A wallet sends signed transaction data rather than publishing the private key. Learn signatures and permissions to understand what a verifier checks and why a valid signature can still authorize an unwanted action.
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Which item must stay secret?
A private key can authorize activity. Public identifiers do not replace it.