Understanding the difference in the public keys of Metamask and Ethereum
As Ethereum developers, we are not extraneous to the complexities of the interaction with the Blockcha Ethereum. Recently, several users have been perplexed by the discrepancy between the public keys displayed on their Metamask portfolio and those recovered using the RPC call Eth_GetencryPctionpulkkey.
The problem: several public keys from the same private key
We go to the details of what is happening. When we useEth_Getencrytpulchkey, requires the public encryption key for a specific Ethereum account address. However, this public key is calculated based on the private key stored in Metamask. That’s why:
* Private key: The private key used to create an Ethereum portfolio is unique for each individual.
* Public key calculation: When recovering the public key using Eth_GetencryPctionpulchkey, it is not directly connected to the private key. Instead, it uses a different calculation method, which generates a new set of keys (public and private) based on the secret shared between the Metamask portfolio and the blockchain Ethereum.
* Shared secret:
This shared secret is used to derive the public key from the private key.
The solution:RecoveryPublickey ()VS. `Eth_GetencryPctionPublickey
To solve this problem, one of the two methods can be used:
-
RecoveryPublickey ():
* You can call RecoveryPublickey () on the Metamask portfolio to recover the public key associated with a specific Ethereum address.
* This method provides the private key used by Metamask and allows you to derive the public key from it.
2
* You can use Et Et_GetcryPctionPublickey as before to recover the public encryption key for your Ethereum account address.
* However, keep in mind that this will return a different set of keys compared to if you usedRecoveryPublickey ().
Example code: recovery of the public key withRecoveryPublickey () by Metamask
Javascript
Const Web3 = Requirements (‘Web3’);
Const Metamask = New Web3 (New Web3.Priders.httpprovider (‘
Metamask.GetaccoTts (). So (account => {
Const Publickey = Account [0] .GetPublickey ();
// recover the private key using the Metamask Recoverpublickey method
Return metamask.Recoverpublickey (Publickey);
});
`
Conclusion:
The discrepancy between the public keys displayed on your metamask portfolio and those recovered using the RPC callsEth_GetencryPruckKey ‘can be resolved using Recoveryicickey ()oth_getencrytpuctickkey. By understanding how Ethereum turns, the private keys and shared secrets work together, you will be better equipped to navigate in these complex interactions.
In case of questions or you need further clarifications on this topic, do not hesitate to ask!