Derivation Path & Extended Key Inspector
Audit how Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) wallets map account public keys to legacy, nested SegWit, and native SegWit addresses. Convert between xpub, ypub, and zpub formats with zero private key exposure.
Zero-Secrets Architecture: Public Keys Only
Never enter your 12/24-word seed phrase or private keys into any website. This tool operates exclusively on Extended Public Keys (XPUB, YPUB, ZPUB). Extended public keys allow you to audit address derivation paths, inspect gap limits, and resolve zero-balance display errors without exposing cryptographic signing authority.
Public Keystore
Derivation Anatomy
Extended public keys correspond to the account level of the HD tree (m/purpose'/coin'/account').
- xpub: Standard BIP-44 Legacy representation
- ypub: BIP-49 Nested SegWit wrapper
- zpub: BIP-84 Native SegWit Bech32
Hierarchical HD Derivation Tree
Derived Public Addresses
Calculated using non-hardened public child derivation.
| Path | Script Type | Public Receiving Address | Public Key (Compressed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter an Extended Public Key (XPUB / YPUB / ZPUB) to calculate derived addresses. | |||
Understanding Derivation Mismatches
If your hardware wallet is displaying a zero balance but you know the blockchain has transactions, it is almost certainly a path configuration error. Common scenarios:
Frequently Asked HD Derivation Questions
What is the difference between BIP-44, BIP-49, and BIP-84 derivation paths?
BIP-44 (m/44'/0'/0') derives legacy Pay-to-PubKey-Hash (P2PKH) addresses starting with '1'. BIP-49 (m/49'/0'/0') derives SegWit-compatible Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH-P2WPKH) addresses starting with '3'. BIP-84 (m/84'/0'/0') derives Native SegWit (Bech32) addresses starting with 'bc1q', offering lower transaction fees.
Why is my Ledger displaying a zero balance despite coins existing on the blockchain?
A zero-balance display error usually occurs when the wallet software checks a different derivation path than the one where funds were originally deposited (e.g., scanning BIP-84 native SegWit instead of BIP-44 legacy or BIP-49 nested SegWit). Adding the matching account type or inspecting addresses via an extended public key resolves the mismatch without exposing private keys.
What is the difference between xpub, ypub, and zpub formats?
All three formats represent the identical 78-byte extended public key payload defined in BIP-32, but SLIP-0132 specifies different 4-byte version prefixes: xpub denotes BIP-44 legacy (P2PKH), ypub denotes BIP-49 nested SegWit (P2SH-P2WPKH), and zpub denotes BIP-84 native SegWit (P2WPKH). Converting prefixes allows client software like Electrum to recognize and derive correct address types.
What is the address gap limit in HD wallets?
The address gap limit (standardized to 20 consecutive unused addresses in BIP-44) is the threshold of consecutive addresses without transaction history that wallet software checks before halting its address scan. If 20 or more sequential addresses are skipped, subsequent funded addresses will not be discovered until the gap limit is manually increased in software like Electrum.