The data is returned as a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), a format which can easily be "consumed" by all programming languages but is also quite human-readable. Among this data we see the version of the bitcoin software client (90000), protocol (70002) and wallet file (60000). We see the current balance contained in the wallet, which is zero. We see the current block height, showing us how many blocks are known to this client, 286216. We also see various statistics about the bitcoin network and the settings related to this client. We will explore these settings in more detail in the rest of this chapter.
The data is returned as a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), a format which can easily be "consumed" by all programming languages but is also quite human-readable. Among this data we see the version of the bitcoin software client (9000), protocol (70002) and wallet file (60000). We see the current balance contained in the wallet, which is zero. We see the current block height, showing us how many blocks are known to this client, 286216. We also see various statistics about the bitcoin network and the settings related to this client. We will explore these settings in more detail in the rest of this chapter.
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@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ wallet encrypted; Bitcoin server stopping, restart to run with encrypted wallet.
$
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We can verify the wallet has been encrypted by running +getinfo+ again. This time you will notice a new entry +unlocked_until+ which is a counter showing how long the wallet decryption password will be stored in memory, keeping the wallet unlocked. At first this will be set to zero, meaning the wallet is locked:
We can verify the wallet has been encrypted, by running +getinfo+ again. This time you will notice a new entry +unlocked_until+ which is a counter showing how long the wallet decryption password will be stored in memory, keeping the wallet unlocked. At first this will be set to zero, meaning the wallet is locked:
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$ bitcoind getinfo
@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ $ bitcoind getnewaddress
1hvzSofGwT8cjb8JU7nBsCSfEVQX5u9CL
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Now, we can use this address to send a small amount of bitcoin to our bitcoind wallet from an external wallet (assuming you have some bitcoin in an exchange, web wallet or the bitcoind wallet held elsewhere). For this example, we will send 50 millibits (0.050 bitcoin) to the address returned above.
Now, we can use this address to send a small amount of bitcoin to our bitcoind wallet from an external wallet (assuming you have some bitcoin in an exchange, web wallet or other bitcoind wallet held elsewhere). For this example, we will send 50 millibits (0.050 bitcoin) to the address returned above.
We can now query the bitcoind client for the amount received by this address, and specify how many confirmations are required before an amount is counted in that balance. For this example, we will specify zero confirmations. A few seconds after sending the bitcoin from another wallet, we will see it reflected in the wallet. We use +getreceivedbyaddress+ with the address and the number of confirmations set to zero (0):
If we omit the zero from the end of this command, we will only see the amounts that have at least +minconf+ confirmations, where +minconf+ is the setting for the minimum number of confirmations before a transaction is listed in the balance. The +minconf+ setting is specified in the bitcoind configuration file. Since the transaction sending this bitcoin was only sent in the last few seconds, it has still not confirmed and therefore we will see it list a zero balance:
If we ommit the zero from the end of this command, we will only see the amounts that have at least +minconf+ confirmations, where +minconf+ is the setting for the minimum number of confirmations before a transaction is listed in the balance. The +minconf+ setting is specified in the bitcoind configuration file. Since the transaction sending this bitcoin was only sent in the last few seconds, it has still not confirmed and therefore we will see it list a zero balance:
The transaction decode shows all the components of this transaction, including the transaction inputs, and outputs. In this case we see that the transaction that credited our new address with 50 milibits used one input and generated two outputs. The input to this transaction was the output from a previously confirmed transaction (shown as the vin txid starting with +d3c7+ above). The two outputs correspond to the 50 milibit credit and an output with change back to the sender.
The transaction decode shows all the compoenents of this transaction, including the transaction inputs, and outputs. In this case we see that the transaction that credited our new address with 50 milibits used one input and generated two outputs. The input to this transaction was the output from a previously confirmed transaction (shown as the vin txid starting with +d3c7+ above). The two outputs correspond to the 50 milibit credit and an output with change back to the sender.
We can further explore the blockchain by examining the previous transaction referenced by its txid in this transaction, using the same commands (eg. +gettransaction+). Jumping from transaction to transaction we can follow a chain of transactions back as the coins are transmitted from owner address to owner address.
With deterministic keys we can generate and re-generate thousands of keys, all derived from a single seed in a deterministic chain. This technique is used in many wallet applications to generate keys that can be backed up and restored with a simple multi-word mnemonic. This is easier than having to backup the wallet with all its randomly generated keys every time a new key is created.
With deterministic keys we can generate and re-generate thousands of keys, all derived from a single seed in a deterministic chain. This technique is used in many wallet applications to generate keys that can be backed up and restored with a simple multi-word mnemonic. This is easier than having to backup the wallet with all its randomly generated keys every time a new key is created.
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The sx toolkit offers many useful commands for encoding and decoding addresses, converting to and from different formats and representations. Use them to explore the various format such as base58, base58check, hex etc.
The sx toolkit offers many useful commands for encoding and decoding addresses, converting to and from different formats and representations. Use them to explore the various formats such as base58, base58check, hex etc.
Andreas M. Antonopoulos
10 years ago