A derivation path identifies a position within a wallet's key tree. This reference gives the account and address-path structures for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Cardano. For an introduction to the Keypath field and its practical purpose, use the account-details explanation.
Bitcoin and Litecoin: account and address levels
A full address path has this structure:
m/
| Component | Meaning |
|---|---|
m |
The wallet's master key. |
purpose' |
84' for Native SegWit, 86' for Bitcoin Taproot, 49' for Wrapped SegWit or 44' for Bitcoin Legacy. |
coin_type' |
0' for Bitcoin mainnet, 2' for Litecoin mainnet or 1' for their test networks. |
account' |
The zero-based account index. |
change |
0 for receiving addresses or 1 for change addresses. |
address_index |
The zero-based address index within that branch. |
Bitcoin and Litecoin account details show the account-level path, ending at account'. The next two levels select an individual address. An apostrophe marks a hardened step, which cannot be derived from the parent extended public key alone. The receiving/change and address-index levels are non-hardened, allowing compatible software to derive public addresses from the account's public key.
Protocol conventions and application support are separate. The BitBoxApp's Bitcoin details offer Native SegWit and Taproot where available; Wrapped SegWit details are hidden. Litecoin's configured schemes differ and do not include Bitcoin Taproot. A purpose number in the table does not establish that an application offers an export for it.
For account-number examples and comparison with other applications, see matching Bitcoin account keypaths.
Ethereum
The BitBoxApp uses m/44'/60'/0'/0/n. The final address index n changes for each additional Ethereum account, while the hardened account level stays at 0'. See Ethereum account derivation paths for the component breakdown.
Cardano
These Cardano structures describe payment and staking keys; they do not imply a Cardano account-details screen in the BitBoxApp:
-
Payment key:
m/1852'/1815'/, with roleaccount'/role/ address_index 0for external payment addresses or1for internal addresses. -
First staking key:
m/1852'/1815'/.account'/2/0
All paths need wallet context: two wallets can use the same path text and derive different keys. A path cannot restore a wallet or prove its identity. Never supply recovery words, private keys or an optional passphrase to another application's import form to resolve a path mismatch.