⚖️Crypto addresses

This article explains the key differences between contract addresses and wallet addresses, helping you understand how each is used on the blockchain.

What is a contract address?

A contract address is like a barcode for a coin. It is the unique identifier on the blockchain where a meme coin’s smart contract is stored. It’s used to verify, track, and interact with that specific coin across wallets, exchanges, and block explorers.

Every coin has a unique contract address associated with it. On Moonshot, these addresses can be used to paste into the search bar to find and trade the coin instantly. They can also be found toward the bottom of the coin’s page, where you can easily copy the coin’s contract address to use at your discretion.

Contract addresses are used solely to track and identify a specific coin.

Contract addresses do not have the same function as a wallet address, and transferring crypto to a coin’s contract address will result in lost funds that Moonshot cannot reverse.

What is a wallet address?

A wallet address is the unique identifier for your personal crypto wallet, where you can send, receive, and store coins. Unlike a contract address, which identifies a specific coin, a wallet address represents you (or more precisely, your crypto holdings) on the blockchain. Think of it like your home address, where people can send things directly to you.

When you create an account with Moonshot, your unique wallet address is minted on the Solana network. You can find your wallet address at the top of the page after navigating to Settings > Export Keys. It will be a long string of letters and numbers specific to your wallet only.

Your wallet address is used to deposit or withdraw coins, or to receive coins from another person. When transferring cryptocurrency to or from your Moonshot wallet, all transactions must be conducted on the Solana network.

Sending crypto to a wallet that isn’t on the Solana network can result in permanent loss of funds, which Moonshot cannot recover.

Key difference: Sending coins to a wallet address transfers them to someone’s control. Sending coins to a contract address does not, and in most cases will permanently remove them from circulation. Always double check that you’re sending to a wallet address when transferring funds.