Address codec

Use addresscodec to encode, decode, and validate XRP Ledger addresses, seeds, and public keys. These operations run offline. For wallet creation and signing, use the wallet package instead.

Install the SDK · Go API reference

Classic addresses and X-addresses

A classic address identifies an account. An X-address combines the account ID, an optional destination tag, and a network flag into one string.

Use an X-address when you need to carry the destination tag with the address. When converting it back, keep the tag and network information rather than discarding them.

Convert an address

After installing the SDK, save this as main.go and run go run .. It converts a classic address to a Testnet X-address with tag 123, then decodes it:

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"log"

	addresscodec "github.com/Peersyst/xrpl-go/address-codec"
)

func main() {
	classic := "rHb9CJAWyB4rj91VRWn96DkukG4bwdtyTh"
	const tag uint32 = 123

	xAddress, err := addresscodec.ClassicAddressToXAddress(classic, tag, true, true)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}

	address, decodedTag, hasTag, isTestnet, err := addresscodec.XAddressToClassicAddress(xAddress)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}

	fmt.Println("X-address:", xAddress)
	fmt.Printf("Classic: %s, tag: %d, has tag: %t, testnet: %t\n",
		address, decodedTag, hasTag, isTestnet)
}

The final line contains the original classic address, tag 123, and two true values.

The last two arguments to ClassicAddressToXAddress mean:

Argument	Meaning
hasTag	Whether the destination tag is present
isTestnet	Whether to use the test-network address format

A tag of zero and an absent tag are different. Use hasTag to distinguish them. Pass tag 0 when hasTag is false. A non-zero tag with hasTag false encodes without error, but the resulting X-address fails decoding.

Choose a function

Task	Functions
Convert address formats	ClassicAddressToXAddress, XAddressToClassicAddress
Encode or decode raw account IDs	EncodeAccountIDToClassicAddress, DecodeClassicAddressToAccountID
Derive an address from a public key	EncodeClassicAddressFromPublicKeyHex
Encode or decode X-address payloads	EncodeXAddress, DecodeXAddress
Encode or decode seeds	EncodeSeed, DecodeSeed
Encode or decode account public keys	EncodeAccountPublicKey, DecodeAccountPublicKey
Encode or decode node public keys	EncodeNodePublicKey, DecodeNodePublicKey
Validate address encodings	IsValidClassicAddress, IsValidXAddress, IsValidAddress
Decode either address format	DecodeAddress

DecodeAddress reports only whether a tag is present. Use XAddressToClassicAddress or DecodeXAddress when you need the tag value.

EncodeSeed takes the entropy and an algorithm from pkg/crypto, such as crypto.ED25519(). DecodeSeed returns the entropy, the detected algorithm, and an error.

Type prefixes

Each encoding prepends a type prefix to its payload before adding the checksum.

Encoding	Prefix	Payload
Classic address	0x00	20-byte account ID
Account public key	0x23	33 bytes
Node public key	0x1C	33 bytes
secp256k1 seed	0x21	16 bytes
Ed25519 seed	0x01 0xE1 0x4B	16 bytes
X-address, Mainnet	0x05 0x44	Account ID, tag flag, and tag
X-address, test networks	0x04 0x93	Account ID, tag flag, and tag

What validation tells you

Validation checks the address encoding and checksum. It does not query the ledger or establish that an account exists, is funded, or belongs to the intended recipient. Use a client query to inspect ledger state.

Classic addresses represent 20-byte account IDs. Both address formats use Base58Check with the XRPL alphabet. See the XRPL address documentation for format details.

Seeds are secrets

Encoding a seed does not encrypt it. Never print, log, commit, or send real seeds to telemetry. Use keypairs for lower-level key generation, or wallets for normal account and signing workflows.