Wallet Analyzer

Validates the format of cryptocurrency wallet addresses and identifies the chain. Supported formats include Bitcoin (P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32), Ethereum and EVM chains (hex with EIP-55 checksum), and Cosmos-family bech32 addresses across hubs.

Format validation confirms structural correctness only. It does not verify that an address has been used, holds funds, or is controlled by any specific entity. On-chain history requires a block explorer.

Address formats encode different cryptographic constructions. Bitcoin P2PKH addresses (legacy, starting with 1) base58-encode a hash of a compressed public key with a checksum. P2SH addresses (starting with 3) hash a redeem script, used for multi-sig and SegWit-wrapped formats. Bech32 addresses (starting with bc1) use a different encoding optimized for SegWit; they have stronger error detection and avoid case ambiguity. Each format has a distinct prefix and length, allowing reliable detection.

Ethereum and EVM-chain addresses are 40 hexadecimal characters representing the last 20 bytes of the keccak-256 hash of the public key. EIP-55 mixed-case checksums encode validity in the case pattern: capital and lowercase letters at specific positions form a checksum derived from the lowercase address. A valid mixed-case address with one wrong letter fails the checksum; pure lowercase addresses bypass the check entirely.

Cosmos-family addresses use bech32 with a chain-specific human-readable prefix (HRP). cosmos1... is the Cosmos Hub; osmo1... is Osmosis; juno1... is Juno; akash1... is Akash. The bech32 encoding includes a strong checksum that catches all single-character substitutions and most adjacent-character transpositions. The HRP is part of the checksum, so an Osmosis address cannot be misinterpreted as a Cosmos Hub address by chopping the prefix.

A worked example: input bc1qw508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7kv8f3t4. Format detection identifies it as Bitcoin Bech32 (mainnet) by the bc1 prefix and length. Checksum validation confirms structural integrity. Output: chain "Bitcoin Mainnet", format "P2WPKH (SegWit v0)", checksum valid, derivation "single-sig". The same string with one character changed fails the checksum and is reported as invalid.

Limitations are significant. Format validity is a necessary but not sufficient check before sending funds. Many chains share address formats: any EVM-compatible chain accepts the same hex addresses, so validating an address as "valid Ethereum" tells you nothing about which chain the recipient expects. Cross-chain mistakes — sending USDC on Polygon to an address that the recipient only monitors on Ethereum — remain a significant cause of lost funds despite address validation. The analyzer cannot prevent that class of error.