Your address receives things. Your keys authorize things.
LET’S PICTURE IT
An address is like a mailbox number. A private key is closer to the power to open it and authorize deliveries from it.
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
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.
Your coins are not inside the app
Your balances are recorded on the network. A wallet is software that helps you view accounts and authorize actions. You can change wallet software without moving the assets if you keep access to the same account.
Public address, secret key
An Ethereum address is 20 bytes, usually displayed as 0x followed by 40 hexadecimal characters. It can be shared to receive assets. A private key must stay secret because it can authorize transactions for its account. A recovery phrase often restores multiple accounts. Never paste a real key or recovery phrase into a learning site.
What signing means
A digital signature lets others verify that an account authorized a message or transaction. Signing is not always harmless: some signatures grant permissions that someone else can submit later. Read the network, recipient, amount and permissions before approving.
Check before sending
Use the address checker to see formatting and checksum rules. A correctly formatted address does not prove that it belongs to your friend, can receive a particular token safely, or exists on your intended network. Check the full address through a trusted channel, rather than only the first and last characters.