BIP-44: Multi-Account Hierarchy for Deterministic Wallets
Derivation paths determine which addresses you get from a seed phrase on each chain. BIP-44 paths (m/44'/60'/0'/0/0 for ETH) explain why the same seed gives different addresses on different wallets.
What It Defines
Defines the derivation path structure for multi-currency HD wallets: m/purpose'/coin_type'/account'/change/address_index. Registered coin types for Bitcoin (0), Ethereum (60), and 1800+ others.
Canonical (Normative)
Related References
The Bitcoin community's open process for proposing protocol changes, standards, and informational documents. BIPs cover everything from consensus rules to wallet derivation paths and payment URIs.
Related Specs
Every modern cryptocurrency wallet (Ledger, Trezor, MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet) uses BIP-32 for key derivation. The foundation of the seed phrase model.
Seed phrases are the primary backup mechanism for all HD wallets. BIP-39 defines the 12/24 word format, wordlist, and checksum — everything about the backup experience.