# What is a BSV Address and a WIF?

 

<figure><img src="/files/dLJ973TpKYqLXlFes20b" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## What is a BSV Address and a WIF?

#### What is a BSV Address?

A **BSV address** is simply a **human-readable identifier** that represents where satoshis can be sent.

Technically, it is built as follows:

1. Start with the **public key** from an ECDSA key pair.
2. Take the **compressed x-coordinate** of that public key.
3. Apply **SHA-256**, then **RIPEMD-160** → this gives the **Public-Key-Hash**.
4. Add a **version byte**.
5. Encode using **Base58Check** to make it shorter, readable, and error-checked.

👉 In **Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH)** transactions, the BSV address is the **message digest** (the “Public-Key-Hash”) to which satoshis are locked.

***

#### What is a WIF?

A **WIF (Wallet Import Format) key** is a way to **encode private keys** for easy transfer between wallets.

* Like addresses, WIFs also use **Base58Check encoding**.
* Instead of a public key hash, a WIF encodes the **private key’s serialised value (d)**.
* Unlike addresses, WIFs do **not use HASH-160**.

👉 **Key takeaway:**

* **Addresses** = Public side (where funds are received).
* **WIFs** = Private side (used to import/export keys securely).

***

#### Example: Generating a Key Pair in GoLang

Using the **libsv libraries**, you can generate a Bitcoin ECDSA public-private key pair:

```
package main 

import ( 
    "fmt" 
    "github.com/libsv/go-bk/bec" 
    "github.com/libsv/go-bt/v2/bscript" 
) 

func main() { 
    privKey, _ := bec.NewPrivateKey(bec.S256()) 
    pubKey := privKey.PubKey() 
    fmt.Println("Private Key:", privKey) 
    fmt.Println("Public Key:", pubKey) 
}
```

&#x20;

✅ **Summary:**

* A **BSV address** = **HASH-160 of the public key**, formatted with Base58Check, used in transactions.
* A **WIF** = Base58Check encoding of the **private key**, making wallets portable and user-friendly.


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