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Get a receiving address

In cryptocurrency, an address is a publicly shareable identifier you use to receive funds. Each blockchain has its own address format (e.g., Bitcoin addresses look different from Ethereum addresses).

When you initialize a wallet with ChainGate, you can easily retrieve the default address for any supported currency.

Example: Ethereum address​

Below is a minimal example showing how to get an Ethereum address from a new wallet:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

async function example() {
  const { wallet, phrase } = await initializeWallet.create()

  // Select "ethereum" from the wallet
  const ethereum = wallet.currency('ethereum')

  // Retrieve the address
  const address = await ethereum.getAddress()
  console.log(address)
  // e.g., "0xE7c19D5A90352b5eE0144363D1191E2549Ca2146"
}

How addresses work​

  • Shareable: Addresses are safe to share publicly. They only reveal where funds can be sent, not how they can be accessed.
  • Unique formats: Each blockchain has its own address style (e.g., Bitcoin addresses look different from Ethereum addresses).
  • Derivation paths: If your wallet is initialized from a mnemonic phrase or seed, you can generate many addresses following standard derivation paths.

Using other currencies​

You can pass any currency identifier supported by ChainGate to .currency(...). For example, to retrieve a Bitcoin address:

const bitcoin = wallet.currency('bitcoin')
const btcAddress = await bitcoin.getAddress()
console.log(btcAddress)
info

Each currency instance (like bitcoin or ethereum) has its own methods and properties depending on that blockchain's rules and standards.

Key points​

  • Addresses are public: It’s completely safe to share them so others can send you funds.
  • One wallet, multiple currencies: A single wallet instance can hold multiple currency sub-wallets (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.).
  • Derivation paths: By default, the address is derived using the currency’s default derivation path (e.g., m/44'/60'/0'/0/0 for Ethereum).
  • Advanced usage: Advanced users can derive other accounts/addresses by using custom derivation paths.