# Account Structure

On ENI, accounts are represented by two address formats:

* ENI **native Bech32** (`eni...`)
* **EVM-compatible Hex** (`0x...`)

Both addresses for a single account are derived from the same **public key**.Because eni is fully compatible with Ethereum and the Ethereum ecosystem is prosperous, it is recommended to use an eth address.

***

#### Deriving Addresses from Public Key

**ENI Address Derivation**

**ENI native addresses** are derived from the **public key** using the following steps:

1. Hash the public key using the `Keccak256` algorithm.
2. Extract the **first 20 bytes** of the resulting hash.
3. Encode the extracted bytes in **Bech32 format** with the **"eni" prefix.**

Example implementation:

```ts
import { bech32 } from 'bech32';
import { keccak256 } from 'ethereumjs-util';

export function deriveEniAddress(publicKey: Buffer): string {
  const hash = keccak256(publicKey);
  const words = bech32.toWords(hash.slice(0, 20));
  return bech32.encode('eni', words);
}
```

#### **EVM Address Derivation**

The EVM-compatible address is derived as follows:

1. Hash the public key using the `Keccak256` algorithm.
2. Extract the **last 20 bytes** of the resulting hash.
3. Prefix the extracted bytes with `0x` to obtain the EVM address.

Example implementation:

```ts
import { keccak256 } from 'ethereumjs-util';

export function deriveEVMAddress(publicKey: Buffer): string {
  const hash = keccak256(publicKey);
  return `0x${hash.slice(-20).toString('hex')}`;
}
```

#### **Summary**

* **Public Key Hash**：Both address derivations rely on the **Keccak256 hashing algorithm**.
* **ENI Address**：
  * Extracts the **first 20 bytes** of the hash.
  * Encodes these bytes into **Bech32 format** with the **"eni" prefix**.
* **EVM Address**：
  * Extracts the **last 20 bytes** of the hash.
  * Formats these bytes as **Hex** with the **"0x" prefix**.

#### **Why This Works**

`Keccak256` **hashing** ensures that the process of deriving both address formats from the same public key is **consistent and verifiable**.

This mechanism enables a **single account** to remain **compatible** in both **ENI native** and **EVM environments**.

***

#### **Next Steps**

For a detailed technical explanation on how to perform **account linking**, please refer to the **Wallet Linking** section.


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