Bitcoin glossary
The destination string you share to receive bitcoin — derived from your keys.
A Bitcoin address is a string (bc1…, 3…, or 1…) derived from a public key, used to receive bitcoin. Formats have evolved — legacy, SegWit, Taproot — with newer ones producing smaller, cheaper transactions. Addresses are free to generate, and best practice is a fresh one per payment for privacy.
An address is not an account: it is a one-way slot others can pay into. Control of the bitcoin behind it belongs to whoever holds the corresponding private key.