Technical Definition
Hardened Derivation
Hardened derivation is an HD-wallet key-derivation method that prevents a child public key from being derived from the parent extended public key alone.
By Crypto University Editorial
Derivation pathExtended Public Key (xpub)Extended Private Key (xprv)
✦ Key Insight
It limits some risks associated with exposed public derivation data.
✕ Common Misconceptions
Hardened derivation reduces flexibility for watch-only public derivation at that branch.
Detailed Explanation
It is marked by hardened path components in BIP-32-style systems.
In Practice
“A wallet uses a hardened account-level path before deriving receiving addresses.”
Dig Deeper
Private Key
The secret number that authorises spending from a crypto address.
Derivation path
A derivation path identifies where a particular key or account is generated within a hierarchical deterministic wallet's key tree.
Extended Public Key (xpub)
An extended public key can derive a branch of public keys and addresses without exposing the corresponding private keys.
Extended Private Key (xprv)
An extended private key can derive a hierarchy of child private and public keys for an HD wallet branch.