Here’s an article on encoding and decoding Ethereum addresses using Base58 in C#:
Base58 Encoding and Decoding with C#: A Guide
Ethereum addresses are encoded in Base58, a character-set designed for simplicity and readability. In this guide, we’ll explore how to base-58 encode and decode an address in C#.
Understanding the Basics of Base58
Before diving into the code, let’s understand the basics of Base58 encoding:
- A 4-character prefix (
0x...) indicates a special character.
- The remaining characters are encoded as follows:
+ 0 becomes b
+ 1 becomes c
+ 2 becomes d
+ 3 becomes e
+ 5 becomes f
+ 6 becomes g
+ 7 becomes h
+ 8 becomes i
+ 9 becomes j
The remaining characters are further divided into two categories:
- Letter characters: These are encoded as letters (a-z, A-Z)
- Digit characters
: These are encoded as digits (0-9)
Base58 Encoding in C#
Here’s a basic implementation of Base58 encoding and decoding:
using System;
using System.Text;
public static class EthereumAddressEncoder
{
public static string EncodeAddress(string address)
{
// Normalize leading zeros
string normalizedAddress = NormalizeLeadingZeros(address);
// Convert to hexadecimal and remove whitespace
byte[] bytes = BitConverter.GetBytes(normalizedAddress);
string encodedAddress = BitConverter.ToString(bytes).Replace("-", "");
return encodedAddress;
}
public static string DecodeAddress(string encodedAddress)
{
// Remove dashes and split into prefix and body
string[] parts = encodedAddress.Split('-');
if (parts.Length != 2) throw new ArgumentException("Invalid Base58 address");
byte[] bytes = BitConverter.GetBytes(parts[0]);
int bodyLength = BitConverter.ToInt32(parts[1], 0);
string decodedBody = BitConverter.ToString(bytes).Replace("-", "");
string decodedAddress = $"{parts[0].Substring(0, bodyLength)}:{decodedBody}";
return decodedAddress;
}
private static string NormalizeLeadingZeros(string address)
{
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
foreach (char c in address)
{
if (c == ' ')
{
sb.Append(' ');
}
else
{
sb.Append(c);
}
}
return sb.ToString();
}
}
Example Usage
Let’s encode a sample Ethereum address:
string encodedAddress = EthereumAddressEncoder.EncodeAddress("0x1234567890abcdef");
Console.WriteLine($"Encoded Address: {encodedAddress}");
And then decode it:
string decodedAddress = EthereumAddressEncoder.DecodeAddress(encodedAddress);
Console.WriteLine($"Decoded Address: {decodedAddress}");
What does “normalize leading zeros” mean?
In the NormalizeLeadingZeros method, we take a string input and iterate over each character. If the character is a space (' '), we simply append it to the result string as is. However, if the character is not a space (e.g., an uppercase letter or digit), we prepend it to the result string.
This process effectively removes any leading spaces from the input string, ensuring that our encoded address has no extra whitespace characters before its body. This is especially useful when working with text data, as it can make the code easier to read and understand.