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.

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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.

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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.

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Spark address format

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

MAINNET

spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu

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