<p>Addresses contain the network byte (hence old-style addresses start with <code>1</code> or <code>3</code>) the 20-byte public key hash, and a checksum that doesn't let you lose funds if you mistype the recipient.</p>
<p>If the checksum is wrong, your wallet will warn you.</p>
<p>There's no way to prove that a public key hash was derived from a known public key. For example there's a corresponding private key to <code>1BitcoinEaterAddressDontSendf59kuE</code>, but those <em>burn addresses</em> have their public key hash chosen, and no one will ever find their private keys.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-19T07:57:13.633Z
2020-07-19T07:57:13.633Z
MCCCS
<blockquote>
<p><strong>How Bitcoin nodes validate a new wallet</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>They don't</p>
<p>Bitcoin nodes validate blocks and they validate the transactions within those blocks</p>
<p>Other nodes don't have access to your wallet and can't validate it or anything in it.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>I mean, what if this wallet already exist?</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>No one knows or cares if the private-key initially generated by your wallet already exists. Nodes don't check for this type of &quot;collision&quot;.</p>
<p>If someone else's wallet has the same private key, either of you could spend each-other's money as well as your own.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>if I create an address offline, how Bitcoin nodes would accept my address as valid (or this isn't needed?)</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Any address is accepted so long as it looks like an address. A well-formed address has an acceptable length, initial bytes and checksum.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>I mean, in which moment, Bitcoin nodes accept my offline-created address.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>each node accepts it at different moments. In whatever moment they happen to come across the address and see that it is a well-formed address.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>how this address appear in this web?</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>A correctly generated well-formed address that has never been used and consequently never appeared in the blockchain is nevertheless a valid address. I expect most blockchain explorers would simply display it and show that there are no transactions associated with it.</p>
<hr />
<p>In summary, no one keeps track of wallets, private-keys and addresses that have been created and never used. All of these are just as valid as a wallet, private-key or address that gets used a thousand times a day every day of the year.</p>
<p>There's a vast ocean of numbers,  they are all valid. Some have been used, some not yet, almost all  will never be used.</p>
<hr />
<p>See also</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/85918/13866">Can Large Bitcoin Collider break into the wallet which is created by new version of Electrum?</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-21T12:53:12.193Z
2020-07-22T09:04:16.720Z
2020-07-22T09:04:16.720Z
RedGrittyBrick
<p>I have a cuple of questions about how wallet creation works. If I create a Bitcoin wallet offline, is there any way of like validate the new wallet, I mean, what if this wallet already exist? I know the posibilities are incredibly low.
And, if I create an address offline, how Bitcoin nodes would accept my address as valid (or this isn't needed?) I mean, in which moment, Bitcoin nodes accept my offline-created address.</p>
<p>I have create a script that creates bitcoin wallets, and I create one offline, then I search for that address on <a href="https://www.blockchain.com/explorer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.blockchain.com/explorer</a> and it shows my current address, so my question is how this address appear in this web?</p>

<wallet><address><blockchain.info><development><address-generation>
How Bitcoin nodes validate a new wallet
Stack
# How Bitcoin nodes validate a new wallet

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-19)

I have a cuple of questions about how wallet creation works. If I create a Bitcoin wallet offline, is there any way of like validate the new wallet, I mean, what if this wallet already exist? I know the posibilities are incredibly low.
And, if I create an address offline, how Bitcoin nodes would accept my address as valid (or this isn't needed?) I mean, in which moment, Bitcoin nodes accept my offline-created address.

I have create a script that creates bitcoin wallets, and I create one offline, then I search for that address on <https://www.blockchain.com/explorer> and it shows my current address, so my question is how this address appear in this web?

**Tags:** wallet, address, blockchain.info, development, address-generation


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-07-21. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

> **How Bitcoin nodes validate a new wallet**

They don't

Bitcoin nodes validate blocks and they validate the transactions within those blocks

Other nodes don't have access to your wallet and can't validate it or anything in it.

> **I mean, what if this wallet already exist?**

No one knows or cares if the private-key initially generated by your wallet already exists. Nodes don't check for this type of "collision".

If someone else's wallet has the same private key, either of you could spend each-other's money as well as your own.

> **if I create an address offline, how Bitcoin nodes would accept my address as valid (or this isn't needed?)**

Any address is accepted so long as it looks like an address. A well-formed address has an acceptable length, initial bytes and checksum.

> **I mean, in which moment, Bitcoin nodes accept my offline-created address.**

each node accepts it at different moments. In whatever moment they happen to come across the address and see that it is a well-formed address.

> **how this address appear in this web?**

A correctly generated well-formed address that has never been used and consequently never appeared in the blockchain is nevertheless a valid address. I expect most blockchain explorers would simply display it and show that there are no transactions associated with it.

---

In summary, no one keeps track of wallets, private-keys and addresses that have been created and never used. All of these are just as valid as a wallet, private-key or address that gets used a thousand times a day every day of the year.

There's a vast ocean of numbers, they are all valid. Some have been used, some not yet, almost all will never be used.

---

See also

* [Can Large Bitcoin Collider break into the wallet which is created by new version of Electrum?](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/85918/13866)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-07-19. Score: 2

Addresses contain the network byte (hence old-style addresses start with `1` or `3`) the 20-byte public key hash, and a checksum that doesn't let you lose funds if you mistype the recipient.

If the checksum is wrong, your wallet will warn you.

There's no way to prove that a public key hash was derived from a known public key. For example there's a corresponding private key to `1BitcoinEaterAddressDontSendf59kuE`, but those *burn addresses* have their public key hash chosen, and no one will ever find their private keys.


---

