Addresses

Planned Upgrade

An Ixian Address is a unique, versioned identifier used to send and receive transactions on the DLT network. It is derived from a user's public key and can be represented in both binary and a human-readable Base58 format.

The system supports multiple address versions, each with different lengths and derivation algorithms. Addresses can be derived hierarchically using a nonce, allowing a single public key to generate a virtually unlimited number of unique addresses.

All current address versions (v0, v1, v2) are derived from an RSA-4096 public key. The address versioning system is designed to support different cryptographic algorithms in the future.

Binary Structure

An address in its raw binary form is composed of a version byte followed by a payload, which is a truncated hash of a public key.

PartSize (Bytes)Description
Version1A single byte identifying the address format and derivation rules (0, 1, or 2).
Payload32 or 44The core address data, derived from a public key hash.

Checksum and Textual Representation

For error checking and user-facing representation, a checksum is appended to the binary structure, and the result is Base58 encoded.

  1. Checksum Calculation:
    • v0/v1: First 3 bytes of sha512sqTrunc(version || payload, 64)
    • v2: First 3 bytes of sha3_512sqTrunc(version || payload, 64)
  2. Appending: The 3-byte checksum is appended to the binary address.
  3. Base58 Encoding: The entire sequence (version + payload + checksum) is encoded using Base58 to produce the final, human-readable address string.

Address Versions

Version 0 (Legacy)

Version 0 is the original address format.

  • Underlying Cryptography: RSA-4096
  • Total Length: 33 bytes (36 with checksum)
  • Base Address Derivation: 0x00 + sha512quTrunc(RSA-4096 publicKey, 32)
  • Nonce-based Derivation: 
    baseAddress_v0 = 0x00 + sha512quTrunc(pubKey, 32)
baseChecksum = sha512sqTrunc(baseAddress_v0, 3)
newPayload = sha512quTrunc(baseAddress_v0 + baseChecksum + nonce, 32)
derivedAddress = 0x00 + newPayload

Version 1

Version 1 introduced a longer address format.

  • Underlying Cryptography: RSA-4096
  • Total Length: 45 bytes (48 with checksum)
  • Base Address Derivation: 0x01 + sha512sqTrunc(RSA-4096 publicKey, 44)
  • Nonce-based Derivation: 
    baseAddress_v1 = 0x01 + sha512sqTrunc(pubKey, 44)
baseChecksum = sha512sqTrunc(baseAddress_v1, 3)
newPayload = sha512sqTrunc(baseAddress_v1 + baseChecksum + nonce, 44)
derivedAddress = 0x01 + newPayload

Version 2 (Current)

Version 2 improves the derivation algorithm for nonced addresses by simplifying the hashing process. This is the recommended version for all new address generation.

  • Underlying Cryptography: RSA-4096
  • Total Length: 45 bytes (48 with checksum)
  • Base Address Derivation: 0x02 + sha3_512sqTrunc(RSA-4096 publicKey, 44)
  • Nonce-based Derivation: 
    baseAddress_v2 = 0x02 + sha3_512sqTrunc(pubKey, 44)
newPayload = sha3_512sqTrunc(baseAddress_v2 + nonce, 44)
derivedAddress = 0x02 + newPayload
    Note: The checksum is NOT included in the nonce derivation for v2, providing cleaner hierarchical relationships.

Cryptographic Agility & Future Versions

The address versioning system is designed to be crypto-agile. The version byte explicitly defines the cryptographic algorithm and derivation rules used. This allows the network to evolve and adopt new signature schemes without breaking backward compatibility.

Future address versions are planned to support post-quantum and other modern signature schemes, such as FN-DSA.

Sector Prefix

Every address has an associated Sector Prefix, which is a 10-byte identifier used for network-level routing or sharding. It is deterministically derived from the address itself.

  • Derivation: sectorPrefix = sha3_512Trunc(addressNoChecksum, 10)

Wallets State

Block Signatures