bip32

What is bip32?

The bip32 npm package is a JavaScript implementation of the BIP32 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 32) standard, which defines a method for creating hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets. This allows for the generation of a tree of key pairs from a single seed, enabling the creation of multiple addresses and keys from a single master key.

What are bip32's main functionalities?

Generate Master Key from Seed

This feature allows you to generate a master key from a given seed. The master key can then be used to derive child keys.

const bip32 = require('bip32');
const seed = Buffer.from('000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f', 'hex');
const node = bip32.fromSeed(seed);
console.log(node.toBase58());

Derive Child Keys

This feature allows you to derive child keys from the master key using a specific path. This is useful for generating multiple addresses from a single seed.

const bip32 = require('bip32');
const seed = Buffer.from('000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f', 'hex');
const node = bip32.fromSeed(seed);
const child = node.derivePath('m/0/0');
console.log(child.toBase58());

Export and Import Keys

This feature allows you to export keys to a Base58 string and import them back. This is useful for storing and sharing keys securely.

const bip32 = require('bip32');
const seed = Buffer.from('000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f', 'hex');
const node = bip32.fromSeed(seed);
const exported = node.toBase58();
const imported = bip32.fromBase58(exported);
console.log(imported.toBase58() === exported);

Other packages similar to bip32

hdkey

The hdkey package is another implementation of the BIP32 standard. It provides similar functionality for generating and managing hierarchical deterministic wallets. Compared to bip32, hdkey is often considered simpler and more lightweight, but it may lack some of the advanced features and optimizations found in bip32.

bitcoinjs-lib

The bitcoinjs-lib package is a comprehensive library for Bitcoin-related operations, including BIP32 key derivation. It offers a wide range of functionalities beyond just HD wallets, such as transaction creation and signing. While it is more feature-rich, it is also more complex and heavier than bip32.

ethers

The ethers package is a library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain, but it also includes support for BIP32 key derivation. It is a good choice if you are working with Ethereum and need BIP32 functionality. However, it is more specialized for Ethereum and may not be as optimized for Bitcoin-specific use cases as bip32.

README

bip32

A BIP32 compatible library written in TypeScript with transpiled JavaScript committed to git.

Example

TypeScript

import BIP32Factory from 'bip32';
import * as ecc from 'tiny-secp256k1';
import { BIP32Interface } from 'bip32';
// You must wrap a tiny-secp256k1 compatible implementation
const bip32 = BIP32Factory(ecc);

let node: BIP32Interface = bip32.fromBase58('xprv9s21ZrQH143K3QTDL4LXw2F7HEK3wJUD2nW2nRk4stbPy6cq3jPPqjiChkVvvNKmPGJxWUtg6LnF5kejMRNNU3TGtRBeJgk33yuGBxrMPHi');

let child: BIP32Interface = node.derivePath('m/0/0');
// ...

NodeJS

let BIP32Factory = require('bip32').default
// tiny-secp256k1 v2 is ES module and must be imported, not required
// (This requires v14 of node or greater)
// But as long as you implement the interface, any library is fine
import('tiny-secp256k1').then(ecc => BIP32Factory(ecc)).then(bip32 => {
  let node = bip32.fromBase58('xprv9s21ZrQH143K3QTDL4LXw2F7HEK3wJUD2nW2nRk4stbPy6cq3jPPqjiChkVvvNKmPGJxWUtg6LnF5kejMRNNU3TGtRBeJgk33yuGBxrMPHi')

  let child = node.derivePath('m/0/0')
  // ...
})

LICENSE MIT

A derivation (and extraction for modularity) of the HDWallet/HDNode written and tested by bitcoinjs-lib contributors since 2014.