{"id":2884,"date":"2024-10-22T10:55:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T10:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/?p=2884"},"modified":"2024-10-22T10:55:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T10:55:08","slug":"do-bitcoin-wallets-store-bitcoins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/do-bitcoin-wallets-store-bitcoins\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfLas billeteras Bitcoin almacenan Bitcoins?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does it actually mean to \u201cstore crypto\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A popular misconception about crypto wallets is that they contain<\/strong> or actually store<\/strong> actual crypto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Bitcoin\u2019s case, this means that some people believe that Bitcoin wallets<\/a> actually contain bitcoins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Confused<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unlike a physical wallet in the real world which holds cash, a Bitcoin wallet does NOT actually hold your bitcoins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bitcoin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because, unlike cash, bitcoins don\u2019t exist in physical<\/em> form<\/strong>. They\u2019re digital<\/strong>. You can\u2019t physically store something that doesn\u2019t physically<\/em> exist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitcoins are just numbers.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bitcoins are simply represented by numbers<\/em> on a ledger<\/strong>\u2026Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I say, \u201cI own 3 bitcoins<\/strong>.\u201d, what this really means is that we can look at Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain (which is public), look up my address (which was generated by my Bitcoin wallet)., and see that I have 3 bitcoins associated with this address<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A helpful way to think about how a Bitcoin wallet works is to imagine that you have a real-world wallet that doesn\u2019t hold any cash but holds just a debit card<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wallet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with a debit card, it\u2019s a rectangular piece of plastic that looks like a credit card except that it\u2019s linked to the user\u2019s checking account at a bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A debit card (also known as a \u201ccheck card\u201d or \u201cbank card\u201d) is a payment card<\/strong> used to buy goods or services. that deducts money directly from your checking account when it\u2019s used<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En amount of money that can be spent with it is tied to the account balance<\/strong> (the amount of funds in your checking account).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cashier\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So when you\u2019re at the checkout counter at the grocery store, and it\u2019s time to pay, you grab your wallet from your pocket or purse, whip out your debit card, and swipe or insert it at the terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pay<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cashier will either ask you to enter a personal identification number (PIN) or give you a slip to sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your PIN number or signing your name (signature) is how you \u201cprove\u201d you are you and are authorizing the spending of your funds from your checking account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Card<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Como puede ver, your money is not stored on your debit card<\/strong>. What the debit card provides is \u201caccess\u201d to the funds in your checking account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with your PIN or signature, which \u201cproves\u201d you are the owner of the checking account, you can \u201cunlock\u201d the funds sitting in your checking account\u2026.and \u201cspend\u201d the funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your checking account is just part of a digital ledger of the bank, so \u201cspending\u201d your funds just means that money is moved from your checking account to another account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the grocery store\u2019s bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you think about it, if the only thing your wallet holds is a debit card, your wallet is NOT storing any actual money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it\u2019s actually storing is something (the debit card) that gives you \u201caccess\u201d to your money<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, U.S. dollars do not physically exist on debit cards. The debit card does not \u201cstore\u201d your dollars. But the debit card gives you \u201caccess\u201d to the U.S. dollars you own in your checking account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your money isn\u2019t stored \u201cin\u201d your debit card.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your money since it\u2019s digital (or electronic) is represented by your checking account balance, which are just numbers recorded on a digital ledger<\/strong> (or database) that\u2019s stored on your bank\u2019s server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you lose your debit card or accidentally burn it or flush it down the toilet, you don\u2019t lose your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bitcoin wallet works in a similar fashion with a couple of differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of a checking account, Bitcoin uses \u201cdirecciones<\/strong>\u201d to represent account numbers. A Bitcoin address is where bitcoins (BTC) can be RECEIVED<\/strong> and from which they can be SENT to other<\/em> direcciones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And rather than holding a debit card, a Bitcoin wallet holds something called a \u201cprivate ke<\/strong>y\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a Bitcoin wallet does NOT store bitcoins, it stores a private key(s)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A private key is just a string of digits. This private key is like a debit card in the sense that if you are in possession<\/em> of it<\/strong>, you have access to a specific direcci\u00f3n<\/em> and can \u201cspend\u201d any bitcoins that are tied to that direcci\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like a debit card and knowledge of your PIN \u201cproves\u201d you are the owner of a specific checking account, a private key \u201cproves\u201d you are the owner of a specific Bitcoin address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just like a checking account is part of a big digital ledger<\/strong> that keeps track of transactions from all the bank\u2019s customer accounts, a Bitcoin address is part of a big digital ledger<\/strong> that keeps track of all Bitcoin transactions that occur from all Bitcoin addresses. This digital ledger is Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, with a PIN or signature, is how a debit cardholder authorizes a transaction, which simply allows money to be \u201cmoved\u201d from their checking account to another person\u2019s or entity\u2019s checking account, which is all recorded on the bank\u2019s digital ledger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Bitcoin\u2019s case, instead of a PIN or a handwritten signature, Bitcoin relies on a \u201cdigital signature\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a \u201cdigital signature\u201d, is how a private key holder authorizes a Bitcoin transaction,<\/strong> which simply means bitcoin(s) is \u201cmoved\u201d from the sender\u2019s Bitcoin address to the recipient\u2019s Bitcoin address, and this \u201cmovement\u201d of bitcoins from one addressed to another address<\/strong> is permanently recorded on Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a perfect analogy since there are technical differences in the way money is actually \u201cmoved\u201d between the two but the point is\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitcoins are NOT stored in the wallet. <\/strong>Bitcoins are assigned to addresses<\/strong> that are listed on Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bitcoin wallet doesn\u2019t store bitcoins but grants access<\/em> to your bitcoins.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A wallet manages the private key that grants access to the address<\/strong> where your bitcoins are stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you have is a private key that allows you to prove<\/em> you are the owner of an address and can \u201cspend\u201d any bitcoins tied to an address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of bitcoins assigned to an address<\/strong> and that information is recorded on the blockchain (ledger). To be able to unlock and move the bitcoins to another address<\/strong>, you need the private key<\/strong> associated with the current address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your money is \u201cstored\u201d in your checking account number.<\/td>Your bitcoins are \u201cstored\u201d in your Bitcoin address.<\/td><\/tr>
Your wallet holds the debit card that grants access to your checking account.<\/td>Your Bitcoin wallet holds the private key that grants access to the Bitcoin address.<\/td><\/tr>
Your checking account balance is denominated in your local fiat currency and transactions are what is recorded in your bank\u2019s database.<\/td>Your address balance denominated in bitcoin (BTC) and transactions are what is recorded on Bitcoin\u2019s blockchain.<\/td><\/tr>
A debit card is issued by your bank (along with a PIN).<\/td>A private key is generated by the wallet itself.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does it actually mean to \u201cstore crypto\u201d? A popular misconception about crypto wallets is that they contain or actually store actual crypto. In Bitcoin\u2019s case, this means that some people believe that Bitcoin wallets actually contain bitcoins. But this is false. Unlike a physical wallet in the real world which holds cash, a Bitcoin wallet does NOT actually hold your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beginners-guide-to-bitcoin-wallets","category-learn-crypto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2885,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2884\/revisions\/2885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apex-aiexperts.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}