Wallets • Estimated 20m

Wallet Import Format (WIF)

dev.wallet-import-format-wif

Wallet Import Format serializes a single Bitcoin private key into a Base58Check string with a network prefix, checksum, and optional compressed-key flag so wallets can export and import raw keys with lower transcription risk.

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Curated resources (3)

• Bitcoin Developer Guide: Wallets (article) Canonical walkthrough of WIF encoding steps, network prefixes, checksum handling, and the compressed-key suffix.
• Bitcoin Developer Glossary: WIF (article) Concise reference that distinguishes WIF from extended private keys and other wallet serialization formats.
• Mastering Bitcoin (book) Broad technical reference for private keys, Base58Check encoding, and the legacy wallet import/export formats built on top of them.

Direct prerequisites (1)

• Public/Private Keys

Direct dependents (0)

• None

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