<p>Electrum is backed by a number of electrum-servers (electrumx is a more recent implementation). These servers maintain the full utxo set, and also serve information such as block headers to electrum clients.</p>

<p>Since both your electrum installations are using the same seed, they will always generate the same addresses.</p>

<p>When you start electrum, it will contact an electrum server to retrieve the latest blockchain information. It will then utilize a simplified payment verification (SPV) system to query the node for transactions relating to your addresses. As it realizes addresses have been used, it will generate more addresses using the seed words.</p>

<p>The process of how addresses are created from a common root is described in <a href="https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0032.mediawiki" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BIP32</a>. The SPV protocol is described in the whitepaper, and also by <a href="https://multibit.org/hd0.4/how-spv-works.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MultiBit</a> (another wallet that utilized SPV systems)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:12:15.190Z
Thanks! Do you mean that electrum server will record all receiving address I used?
HelloCW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:13:26.460Z
And if electrum server crash, how can I list my  transaction quickly?
HelloCW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:15:15.153Z
And if electrum down, will I lost  all my bitcoin?
HelloCW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:43:26.420Z
If the Electrum servers are all down (probably won't happen), you will see an old balance. You can set up an [Electrum Personal Server](https://github.com/chris-belcher/electrum-personal-server) just for you if something like that happens or you want to have better security.
Janus Troelsen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:45:28.317Z
Yes, the *default server* you use in Electrum will receive all your used addresses. Electrum will generate new addresses when addresses are used. The server won't know about them until it is asked, of course, and it can't predict your unused addresses.
Janus Troelsen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:52:54.133Z
Thanks! Do you mean that Electrum servers  are  decentralized ?  Is my transaction records hard to query if all Electrum servers crash?
HelloCW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:54:34.727Z
And if all electrum down, will I lost all my bitcoin ?
HelloCW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:10:58.957Z
Anyone can run an electrum server, similar to how anyone can run a bitcoin node. You can select which server to connect to. As long as you maintain a backup of your private keys, you should never lose your bitcoin, regardless of the availability of whichever wallet you use
Raghav Sood
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T08:53:59.180Z
2018-10-23T08:53:59.180Z
Raghav Sood
<p>I'm a beginner of Bitcoin and blockchain. I use Electrum as my BitCoin wallet, and install it on both home PC and office PC.</p>

<p>I can see all transaction records on Electrum wallet of both home PC and office PC.</p>

<p>You know a new receiving address will be generated when I require a new  receiving bitcoin every time. I think that the new receiving address is generated  randomly.</p>

<p>I think that Electrum wallet will not record all receiving address I used.</p>

<p>so I'm very stranger that how Electrum wallet find my transaction records from  blockchain quickly, could you tell me?</p>

<p>A bad way is to calculate all private key based seed, and calculate all public key and my receiving bitcoin address based private key, then find all transaction based all my receiving bitcoin address from blockchain. it's a huge work!</p>

<wallet><electrum>
How does Electrum wallet list my transaction record?
HelloCW
# How does Electrum wallet list my transaction record?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-23)

I'm a beginner of Bitcoin and blockchain. I use Electrum as my BitCoin wallet, and install it on both home PC and office PC.

I can see all transaction records on Electrum wallet of both home PC and office PC.

You know a new receiving address will be generated when I require a new receiving bitcoin every time. I think that the new receiving address is generated randomly.

I think that Electrum wallet will not record all receiving address I used.

so I'm very stranger that how Electrum wallet find my transaction records from blockchain quickly, could you tell me?

A bad way is to calculate all private key based seed, and calculate all public key and my receiving bitcoin address based private key, then find all transaction based all my receiving bitcoin address from blockchain. it's a huge work!

**Tags:** wallet, electrum


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-10-23. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Electrum is backed by a number of electrum-servers (electrumx is a more recent implementation). These servers maintain the full utxo set, and also serve information such as block headers to electrum clients.

Since both your electrum installations are using the same seed, they will always generate the same addresses.

When you start electrum, it will contact an electrum server to retrieve the latest blockchain information. It will then utilize a simplified payment verification (SPV) system to query the node for transactions relating to your addresses. As it realizes addresses have been used, it will generate more addresses using the seed words.

The process of how addresses are created from a common root is described in [BIP32](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0032.mediawiki). The SPV protocol is described in the whitepaper, and also by [MultiBit](https://multibit.org/hd0.4/how-spv-works.html) (another wallet that utilized SPV systems)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! Do you mean that electrum server will record all receiving address I used?  
> **username_0**: And if electrum server crash, how can I list my  transaction quickly?  
> **username_0**: And if electrum down, will I lost  all my bitcoin?  
> **username_2**: If the Electrum servers are all down (probably won't happen), you will see an old balance. You can set up an [Electrum Personal Server](https://github.com/chris-belcher/electrum-personal-server) just for you if something like that happens or you want to have better security.  
> **username_2**: Yes, the *default server* you use in Electrum will receive all your used addresses. Electrum will generate new addresses when addresses are used. The server won't know about them until it is asked, of course, and it can't predict your unused addresses.  
> **username_0**: Thanks! Do you mean that Electrum servers  are  decentralized ?  Is my transaction records hard to query if all Electrum servers crash?  
> **username_0**: And if all electrum down, will I lost all my bitcoin ?  
> **username_1**: Anyone can run an electrum server, similar to how anyone can run a bitcoin node. You can select which server to connect to. As long as you maintain a backup of your private keys, you should never lose your bitcoin, regardless of the availability of whichever wallet you use  

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