Hi, I'm here again with more questions, appreciate the answer. Isn't it faster to search for RIPEMD-160 instead of address?
Correct. Searching directly for RIPEMD-160 is
slightly faster because it skips the base58 encoding. But it doesn't really boost the speed a lot. So i would say it doesn't matter that much.
Let's take an example:
The Bitcoin Address 16UwLL9Risc3QfPqBUvKofHmBQ7wMtjvM is the same as 010966776006953D5567439E5E39F86A0D273BEE.
The first one is the base58 encoded, and the second one is the RIPEMD-160. They're actually the same but in different view and shape. They're always both 160 bits too. 40-HEX x 4 = 160 bits. And you can always convert the RIPEMD-160 to base58, and base58 back to RIPEMD-160.
You can create as well a fun valid Bitcoin Burner Address. 1ELonMuskTrashAndHasNobrainyzXpEm = 0285F0F3222B4F2DB6F7B0EA4BD1B1D53A7D4852. They're both valid but obviously no one has its privates keys for this address. You can get its private key after bruteforcing about 2^160 addressess, which is older than the sperms of my 2^69 grand grand fathers. Keep in mind too, an Bitcoin Address is always valid as long as its RIPEMD-160 is 40 Hexadecimal characters.
BUT You only skip the base58 encoding. You still need to perform the steps that are needed for bruteforcing in order to get the wanted RIPEMD-160 if you search by skipping base58.
HexPrivateKey => SHA256 of PubKey => RIPEMD-160 of PubKey's Hash