Addressing

Spark doesn’t force a single address format on your users. Depending on what you’re building, your users might interact with standard Bitcoin taproot addresses, Lightning invoices, Spark addresses, or none of the above. You choose what to expose.

Address types

Bitcoin taproot addresses

Every Spark wallet has a standard Bitcoin taproot address (bc1p... on mainnet) for L1 deposits. This is the same address format used by any Bitcoin wallet. Your users can receive Bitcoin from Coinbase, a hardware wallet, or any on-chain source. On test networks you’ll see different prefixes: tb1p... (testnet/signet) and bcrt1p... (regtest/local).

const depositAddress = await wallet.getStaticDepositAddress();
// bc1p5d7rjq7g6rdk2yhzks9smtbqtedr4dekq08ge8ztwac72sfr9rusxg3297

This means a Spark-powered app can function as a full L1 Bitcoin wallet. Users deposit to a taproot address, hold Bitcoin on Spark, and withdraw back to L1 whenever they want.

Lightning invoices

Spark wallets can create and pay Lightning invoices without running a node or managing channels. Some apps only expose Lightning. Users never see a Spark address or know Spark exists.

// Create a Lightning invoice
const { invoice } = await wallet.createLightningInvoice({
  amountSats: 50000,
  memo: "Payment for order #1234",
});

// Pay a Lightning invoice
const payment = await wallet.payLightningInvoice({
  invoice: "lnbc500u1p...",
});

Spark addresses

Spark addresses are Bech32m-encoded identifiers that map to a wallet’s identity public key. Think of them as user IDs. They identify a wallet on the Spark network. Transfers between Spark addresses are instant and free.

const sparkAddress = await wallet.getSparkAddress();
// spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

Most wallets don’t expose Spark addresses to end users. They’re useful behind the scenes for free, instant transfers between your own users, between services, or for settlement between apps.

What to expose

Spark is modular. Pick the addressing that fits your use case:

Use case	What users see	What Spark does behind the scenes
Bitcoin wallet	Taproot address (`bc1p...` / `tb1p...` / `bcrt1p...`)	L1 deposits, Spark balance, L1 withdrawals
Payments app	Lightning invoices	Spark handles routing, no node needed
Exchange / fintech	Nothing (internal accounts)	Spark addresses for free internal transfers
P2P transfers	Spark addresses or usernames	Instant, free Spark-to-Spark settlement

The point: Spark adapts to your product. It can be a full L1 wallet, a Lightning payments backend, a free internal ledger, or all three at once. Your users don’t need to know what’s underneath.

Spark address format

For developers working directly with Spark addresses, here’s the format:

spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

sparkrt1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

sparkt1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

sparks1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

sparkl1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

Network prefixes

Network	Prefix	Availability
Mainnet	`spark`	Available
Regtest	`sparkrt`	Available
Testnet	`sparkt`	Coming soon
Signet	`sparks`	Coming soon
Local	`sparkl`	Available

Key facts

Derived from your wallet’s network and identity public key
Same wallet always produces the same Spark address
Network-specific. A mainnet wallet and regtest wallet will have different addresses

Introduction

Installation

Wallet

Transfers

Deposits

Withdrawals

Fees

Spark Signer Interface

Tools

Address types

Bitcoin taproot addresses

Lightning invoices

Spark addresses

What to expose

Spark address format

Network prefixes

Key facts

​Address types

​Bitcoin taproot addresses

​Lightning invoices

​Spark addresses

​What to expose

​Spark address format

​Network prefixes

​Key facts

Address types

Bitcoin taproot addresses

Lightning invoices

Spark addresses

What to expose

Spark address format

Network prefixes

Key facts