Looks like what we usually call a private key is a short 32 byte "secret parameter".
AbsolutelyWhy do we need a big CPrivKey when you can always generate key pair from just a secret?
I'm interested in the answer too 
Topic: Digging source code: "Private key" vs. "Secret parameter" (Read 941 times)
I'm reading Bitcoin-QT source code and don't quite understand the difference between CPrivKey and CSecret.
key.h has some explanation:
// CPrivKey is a serialized private key, with all parameters included (279 bytes)
typedef std::vector > CPrivKey;
// CSecret is a serialization of just the secret parameter (32 bytes)
typedef std::vector > CSecret;
Looks like what we usually call a private key is a short 32 byte "secret parameter". But then I see code that uses CPrivKey in wallet.cpp. I would go to OpenSSL to study the difference between EC_KEY_get0_private_key (used in CKey::GetSecret) and i2d_ECPrivateKey (used in CKey::GetPrivKey), but OpenSSL .h documentation does not really explain much.
Why do we need a big CPrivKey when you can always generate key pair from just a secret? Where can I learn more about practical aspects of ECDSA (I already have a good theoretical guide)?
Thanks.
key.h has some explanation:
// CPrivKey is a serialized private key, with all parameters included (279 bytes)
typedef std::vector
// CSecret is a serialization of just the secret parameter (32 bytes)
typedef std::vector
Looks like what we usually call a private key is a short 32 byte "secret parameter". But then I see code that uses CPrivKey in wallet.cpp. I would go to OpenSSL to study the difference between EC_KEY_get0_private_key (used in CKey::GetSecret) and i2d_ECPrivateKey (used in CKey::GetPrivKey), but OpenSSL .h documentation does not really explain much.
Why do we need a big CPrivKey when you can always generate key pair from just a secret? Where can I learn more about practical aspects of ECDSA (I already have a good theoretical guide)?
Thanks.
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