Ledger LandISSUE #44 of 90

hd wallets · bip-32 · derivation paths

BlockyVSDouble-Spend Dan

Blocky saysHD wallets (BIP-32) derive endless key pairs from one seed along derivation paths.

A Hierarchical Deterministic wallet turns one seed into a tree of keys via derivation paths (like m/44'/60'/0'/0/0). This means one backup covers unlimited addresses, and you can generate a fresh address per transaction for privacy — all recoverable from the single seed. The path components encode purpose, coin type, account, and index.

Power-ups you unlock

One seed → a tree of keys (deterministic)
Derivation paths like m/44h/60h/0h/0/0
One backup covers all addresses
Fresh address per tx for privacy

Double-Spend Dan attacks — common mistakes

Backing up individual keys instead of the seed
Wrong derivation path → "missing" funds
Assuming a new address means a new backup

Boss battleExplain why one seed phrase can restore thousands of addresses.

Example code

<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8"></head>
<body style="background:#06040d;color:#e6e0ff;font-family:monospace;padding:20px"><pre>seed → m/44'/60'/0'/0/0  (addr 0)
     → m/44'/60'/0'/0/1  (addr 1) ...
one seed restores them all</pre></body></html>

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