An address is a string derived from a public key — for example a Bitcoin address beginning bc1, an Ethereum address beginning 0x, or a Tron address beginning T. Anyone can send value to it, and every transfer in or out is published permanently on the network's ledger.
In an investigation an address is the basic unit of evidence. It tells you where value went and when, but it carries no name, no country and no identity. Attribution — deciding who controls an address — comes from off-chain information such as a service's published deposit addresses or records released under lawful process.
Related terms
Private key
The secret value that authorises spending from an address. Anyone holding it controls the funds, permanently and irreversibly.
Wallet
Software or hardware that stores keys and signs transactions. It holds keys, not coins — the balances live on the ledger.
Clustering
Grouping addresses likely under common control, using patterns such as shared spending or funding.
More in Wallets
Guides that use this term
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