How to find xpub in TOP crypto wallets for E-commerce ( Part1 )

The simplest, user-friendly, and popular non-custodial wallets for Commerce that can be connected to non-custodial payment gateways.

In this article, we'll focus exclusively on specific wallets whose functionality allows us to seamlessly connect them to the Bcon Global payment gateway, enabling us to receive funds directly into these wallets without any intermediaries. We won't be exploring other wallets as they don't provide the capability to obtain master keys for generating wallet addresses ( Why we need the list of wallets, Read article about it ). Moreover, even if you manage to obtain the public key, your program needs to support mass wallet generation based on this key. This is crucial because using the xpub (public master key) allows you to receive funds into a wallet that might not be visible in your program ( Read article about it ), and you won't be able to at least visually confirm the presence of these funds in your wallet.

In the realm of contemporary bitcoin wallets, the majority are categorized as HD wallets. This signifies their capability to generate private keys through seed words and furnish an extended public key (xPub) for the derivation of bitcoin addresses. Let's delve into the significance of the xPub key and the process of obtaining it.

Why an xPub Key is Essential

The xPub key serves as the master key from which all your addresses are derived. Opting for the same address for every payment exposes the balance of that address to each new user making a transaction. This practice compromises privacy.
By utilizing an xPub key, a fresh address is created for each new invoice and web store payment, ensuring that every transaction corresponds to a unique address. This not only safeguards your personal privacy but also enhances the sender's privacy.

Additionally, xPub Keys offer the following advantages:

Enhanced Privacy: Diminish address reuse on the blockchain, preserving your privacy.
Effortless Invoice Generation: Create new invoices without the need to open your wallet each time.
Comprehensive Wallet Balance: Easily check the balance of your entire wallet rather than inspecting one address at a time.
Maintaining Private Keys: Keep your private keys secure within your wallet. Unlike centralized services, where you relinquish control of your private keys.

Electrum ( Desktop )

Official website of this wallet: https://electrum.org/

Here's a simple process: launch the program, go to the “Wallet” tab in the menu, select “Information”, and you're all set. You can use this key to generate wallet addresses.

Exodus ( Desktop )

Official website of this wallet: https://www.exodus.com/

Run the program and scroll down andselect “Bitcoin”.

After selecting Bitcoin, click on the Hamburger Icon (this is the icon with vertical ellipsis). In the dropdown menu, choose "Export Addresses," then "Export xpub."

After that, the system will display the path where the files were saved.

Open the exported files. Essentially, it was enough to just download the xpub, but since we're unsure about potential changes in the program versions after we released this article, it's better to ensure the accuracy of the steps.

Now you can see that the program has provided us with several public keys. That's why we also exported wallet addresses to understand which public key corresponds to which wallet. Bcon Global payment gateway supports multiple wallet types, including Legacy (starts with 1) and Segwit (starts with bc1). You can choose either the first or second key; the third one is not applicable. If you've opted for the Legacy format (starting with 1), you'll need the xpub (the first key on the right). If you've chosen Segwit (starting with bc1), then you'll need the zpub (the second key in the list). Don't forget that when connecting the wallet to the payment gateway, you'll need to specify the verification wallet address that must match the type of the public key. Sound complex? Don't worry; it gets easier with practice. It's like distinguishing between old and new banknotes.

Display of generated wallets in Exodus

Back to the issue of viewing generated addresses. In Exodus, you can enable the generation of new addresses. However, a new address will only be generated once the previous one has been used. When using wallet generation (new invoice = new wallet), the first challenge that arises is that not every invoice will be settled. This makes it unclear how to see the next wallets if no funds entered the previous one but there were numerous payments after it. The Bcon Global service tackled this problem by reusing unused addresses in a new invoice after a day. Consequently, in any case, each wallet will have an incoming transaction (income), and the subsequent wallets will become available for viewing. In this aspect, Electrum takes the lead as it allows programmatically generating even a thousand wallets and checking their balances, among other things.

Blockchain.com ( Web wallet )

A quick note: blockchain.com is a custodial web wallet. You can export keys and restore your wallet on other devices. However, I wouldn't recommend using this wallet because your keys are still stored on the company's servers. Moreover, when creating an account, there's a link to your phone and email, which could be exploited by malicious actors ( hacker ) to regain access if, for instance, your email is compromised.

Official site : https://www.blockchain.com/

Create an account and log in to www.blockchain.com. Then click on the Profile Icon and go to the section indicated in the screenshot.

By default, you will have the SegWit specification selected. You need to switch it to Legacy.

Because at the time of writing the article, SegWit ( ZPUB ) will give you a public key of the Legacy ( XPUB ) format, which will lead to the generation of irregular wallets.

You can read our in-depth article on this issue here.

Wasabi wallet ( Desktop )

Official site : https://wasabiwallet.io/

Unlike some other standards, Wasabi Wallet uses the "xpub" prefix for SegWit wallets instead of "zpub," which can be confusing. However, it is still an extended public key (xpub), not a private key.

The security and functionality of wallets are based on compliance with BIP (Bitcoin Improvement Proposals) standards. In this case, Wasabi Wallet has chosen to use "xpub" for public keys in the BIP-84 format (native SegWit) to simplify interaction with other wallets.

Therefore, despite the "xpub" prefix not aligning with the BIP-84 standard's "zpub" expectation, the xpub from Wasabi Wallet will work with other wallets and services expecting SegWit xpub.

Ledger

Ledger Live displays your "generic xpub" only, no matter if you used Legacy, Segwit, or Native Segwit addresses (starting with 1***, 3*** and bc1q***, respectively).
Find your "generic xpub" as per the instructions in the article below:
https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011069619-Extended-public-key

Trezor

Your extended public key (xpub/zpub) can be conveniently accessed through the Trezor Suite.

When using public keys in non-custodial payment gateways, it is essential to consider that the public key is utilized for wallet generation. Since there are no additional identifiers, such as payment notes, the simplest solution is to use a separate wallet for each invoice. This ensures clarity on which invoice has been settled and which has not. Further details on this can be found in our upcoming article. Given this characteristic of working with public keys, there is a need to have the capability to view balances across all wallets that can be generated. Additionally, your software (wallet) should be able to display this automatically. This will spare you from extra technical issues and stress when tracking your funds. As our blog evolves, we will delve into the intricacies of working with these wallets more extensively.