GlossaryAdvanced
Extended Public Key
A key that lets someone generate and view all addresses in an HD wallet, without spending access.
An extended public key lets a party derive and monitor every address within a hierarchical deterministic wallet's structure, without granting any ability to spend the funds at those addresses.
This is commonly used to enable read-only monitoring across an entire wallet's many addresses, rather than watching each individual address separately.
Examples
- Sharing an extended public key lets someone view all of a wallet's addresses without any spending access.
- An extended public key is distinct from, and far less sensitive than, a private key or seed phrase.