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Changing Base58Check encoded 'address' to 'payload' to drive down the point that this allows for differentiation of different *types* of data

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Minh T. Nguyen 2014-05-30 00:14:57 -07:00
parent da35f9e99c
commit a0bbbab260

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@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ The result of the above is now a prefix, the data and a checksum, concatenated (
.Base58Check Encoding: A base-58, versioned and checksummed format for unambiguously encoding bitcoin data
image::images/Base58CheckEncoding.png["Base58CheckEncoding"]
In bitcoin, most of the data presented to the user is Base58Check encoded to make it compact, easy to read and easy to detect errors. The version prefix in Base58Check encoding is used to create easily distinguishable formats, which when encoded in Base-58 contain specific characters at the beginning of the Base58Check encoded address, making it easy for humans to identify the type of data that is encoded and how to use it. This is what differentiates, for example, a Base58Check encoded bitcoin address that starts with a "1" from a Base58Check encoded private key WIF format that starts with a "5". Some example version prefixes and the resulting Base-58 characters are shown below:
In bitcoin, most of the data presented to the user is Base58Check encoded to make it compact, easy to read and easy to detect errors. The version prefix in Base58Check encoding is used to create easily distinguishable formats, which when encoded in Base-58 contain specific characters at the beginning of the Base58Check encoded payload, making it easy for humans to identify the type of data that is encoded and how to use it. This is what differentiates, for example, a Base58Check encoded bitcoin address that starts with a "1" from a Base58Check encoded private key WIF format that starts with a "5". Some example version prefixes and the resulting Base-58 characters are shown below:
[[base58check_versions]]
.Base58Check Version Prefix and Encoded Result Examples