Author

Topic: What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of addresses? (Read 1580 times)

full member
Activity: 190
Merit: 100
More likely we'll still have plenty of addresses 4 billion years from now (assuming of course humans still exist and we are still using something as ancient and old fashioned as bitcoin).

Or currency.
legendary
Activity: 2786
Merit: 1031
Hey!

What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?

It will not matter because the Universe ended long before, hehe.
full member
Activity: 190
Merit: 100
I was just reading the weaknesses list as I was worried that destruction of coins might be an issue (it's not). I also found this relating to this issue:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Weaknesses#Generating_tons_of_addresses
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 4801
What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?

We will run out of humans first.

Even if it happens

It won't.

it is probably possible to fix the problem by using old empty addresses

It isn't.

or by creating new one with a different manner

Unnecessary, for this concern but likely if a weakness is ever discovered in ECDSA, SHA-256, or RIPEMD-160.

Worry more about when we reach the 21 million bitcoins created.

Why?

So that makes 26+26+10 Combination for each step. 27 to 32 letters.

Except we don't use 0,O,I, or l so it's more like 24+25+9 with I think equals 58.  Then the last few characters of the address are a checksum to prevent typos resulting in actual addresses. This means they are entirely dependant on the rest of the address and can't change. Perhaps that's why it's called Base58Check encoding.

Try 32^56 adresses.

I've been known to make a mistake on this, but I think you've got your base and your exponent switched there.

Maybe it stops working in 2200 when we are 2 Trillion humans Wink

More likely we'll still have plenty of addresses 4 billion years from now (assuming of course humans still exist and we are still using something as ancient and old fashioned as bitcoin).
full member
Activity: 224
Merit: 100
Hey!

What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?

It is certainly possible. You have however, capital letters, non capital letters and numbers. So that makes 26+26+10 Combination for each step. 27 to 32 letters. Try 32^56 adresses. Maybe it stops working in 2200 when we are 2 Trillion humans Wink

sr. member
Activity: 350
Merit: 250
Hey!

What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?

I wondered about this myself but the number of addresses was something like 2^97, or pretty much a ridiculously high number. Someone said there's like 100 million addresses for each person in the entire world.
hero member
Activity: 532
Merit: 500
No Bitcoin will not run out of addresses. Worry more about when we reach the 21 million bitcoins created.
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
run out of what?Smiley
sr. member
Activity: 392
Merit: 250
Even if it happens, it is probably possible to fix the problem by using old empty addresses, or by creating new one with a different manner
member
Activity: 70
Merit: 10
There is an incredible amount of possible addresses.
global moderator
Activity: 3794
Merit: 2612
In a world of peaches, don't ask for apple sauce
Combination of possible addresses is immense thus, as mentioned earlier, the possiblity of that whole amount being taken by someone else is pretty impossible at this time.
legendary
Activity: 1232
Merit: 1001
I would rather worry about what happens when our sun goes nova, because this will most likely happen sooner. There is an incredible amount of possible addresses.
This is really nothing to worry about.
newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
Hey!

What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?

Bitcoin will never out addresses.
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
Capitalism is the crisis.
Are you familiar with Graham's Number?

EDIT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham%27s_number
full member
Activity: 127
Merit: 100
🌟 æternity🌟 blockchain🌟
Hey!

What will happen when Bitcoin runs out of bitcoin addresses, or is that not possible?
Jump to: