Comprehensive Guide to Bitcoin Wallet Address Lookup and Transaction Tracking

Learn how to check BTC wallet balances and track Bitcoin transactions easily using the GoldRush API for structured blockchain data.

Whether you're developing Bitcoin payment processing solutions, accounting tools, or a custom self-custody wallet, or simply conducting market research and analytics, you need an easy-to-use tool to access Bitcoin address balance and transaction data. GoldRush provides custom endpoints for Bitcoin data under the Class C category, which is required due to Bitcoin's unique blockchain architecture compared to Ethereum and other EVMs supported by GoldRush's unified API.

Key Questions Answered:

  • How much BTC was sent in a transaction?

  • Where can I see a record of all Bitcoin transactions for a wallet, including historical prices and cryptocurrency prices?

  • What is a user’s Bitcoin wallet balance?

Quick Start Guide

Get Bitcoin Wallet Balances

To fetch the native Bitcoin balance for a wallet address, use the following endpoint:

/v1/{chainName}/address/{walletAddress}/balances_v2/

This endpoint is commonly used to fetch the native, fungible (ERC20), and non-fungible (ERC721 & ERC1155) tokens held by an address. The response includes spot prices and other metadata.

Example:

Assuming you already have an API key, paste this into your browser to see transactions for a Bitcoin wallet address:

<https://api.covalenthq.com/v1/btc-mainnet/address/{address}/?key={ckey_sample}>

Replace {address} with the Bitcoin wallet address you want to check and {ckey_sample} with your own API key.

Sample Bitcoin Balances Response:

{ "address": "bc1q5gzu4sty6vtpv045d59w4quj46wrjnenlee9sv", "updated_at": "2024-05-14T21:57:35.596513839Z", "next_update_at": "2024-05-14T22:02:35.596514209Z", "quote_currency": "USD", "chain_id": 20090103, "chain_name": "btc-mainnet", "items": [ { "contract_decimals": 8, "contract_name": "Bitcoin", "contract_ticker_symbol": "BTC", "contract_address": "0xeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee", "supports_erc": null, "logo_url": "https://www.covalenthq.com/static/images/icons/display-icons/bitcoin-logo.svg", "contract_display_name": "Bitcoin", "logo_urls": null, "last_transferred_at": "2024-05-14T11:45:45Z", "native_token": true, "type": "cryptocurrency", "is_spam": false, "balance": "2017356", "balance_24h": "0", "quote_rate": 61660.36, "quote_rate_24h": 62893.566, "quote": 1243.9089, "pretty_quote": "$1,243.91", "quote_24h": 0, "pretty_quote_24h": "$0.00", "protocol_metadata": null, "nft_data": null } ], "pagination": null }

In this response, you can see information such as the wallet address, the time of the last update, the quote currency, and the value of the account owner's Bitcoin address balance. The balance field is denominated in satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin, where 1 BTC = 100,000,000 satoshis).

Calculating Bitcoin Balance

To convert the balance into BTC and check bitcoin wallet balance:

balance (satoshis) / (10^8) = balance (BTC)

For example:

2017356 satoshis / (10^8) = 0.02017356 BTC

To get the USD value of the balance, multiply the BTC amount by the current cryptocurrency prices.

Sample Bitcoin Transaction Response

To fetch Bitcoin transactions by wallet address and track bitcoin transactions, use the following endpoint:

/v1/{chainName}/address/{walletAddress}/transactions_v2/

Example Response:

{ "updated_at": "2024-05-14T21:41:37.284082994Z", "items": [ { "chain_id": "20090103", "chain_name": "btc-mainnet", "contract_decimals": 8, "block_hash": "0000000000000000000696E50D16ABF93731132C0A1402F3575AAD699963C8AF", "block_signed_at": "2021-09-15T18:52:30Z", "block_height": "700692", "tx_hash": "BD08D72860C1F19FF4CB14F453B644681782E98CF9620C3009DF45869CDCDEF9", "tx_idx": "0", "type": "input", "address": "3Qo3YUNkXmos5sKsPdrPX5NtT5GTi7ngLY", "value": "980000", "quote_rate": 48182.7061026188, "quote": 472.190519805664, "fees_paid": "76549", "gas_quote": 36.8833796944937, "gas_quote_rate": 48182.7061026188, "coinbase": false, "locktime": "700691", "weight": "27801" }, { "chain_id": "20090103", "chain_name": "btc-mainnet", "contract_decimals": 8, "block_hash": "0000000000000000000911ED93B4AFCADE06A139C9D6B1275C781D40E4CB173E", "block_signed_at": "2021-09-15T18:29:14Z", "block_height": "700687", "tx_hash": "1D61FE84A600E73D5E8E61004F884BECC7B536FA2C4236BAB4514A9E92984BCB", "tx_idx": "0", "type": "output", "address": "3Qo3YUNkXmos5sKsPdrPX5NtT5GTi7ngLY", "value": "980000", "quote_rate": 48089.8349864272, "quote": 471.280382866987, "fees_paid": "11200", "gas_quote": 5.38606151847985, "gas_quote_rate": 48089.8349864272, "coinbase": true, "locktime": "0", "weight": "892" } ],

This response provides transaction data such as the tx hash, transaction type, address, value of BTC sent, fees paid, and more. As with the balance data response, all values are denominated in satoshis. You can use a bitcoin block explorer or blockchain explorer to view more detailed information about these transactions.

Understanding Bitcoin Transactions

Bitcoin transactions consist of inputs and outputs. An input transaction records the Bitcoin being spent from a previous transaction, while an output transaction records the Bitcoin being received in the current transaction.

Example Calculation: To convert the value fields into BTC:

value (satoshis) / (10^8) = value (BTC)

For example:

980000 satoshis / (10^8) = 0.0098 BTC

This calculation gives you the BTC amount for each transaction.

Common Use Cases

  1. Bitcoin Wallet Address Lookup: Allows users to check the balance and transactions of a Bitcoin wallet.

  2. Bitcoin Transaction Tracking: Enables tracking of Bitcoin transactions for a wallet address, including historical prices and transaction history.

  3. Bitcoin Balance Checker: Provides real-time balance information for Bitcoin wallets.

  4. Check Bitcoin Wallet Balance: Simplifies the process of checking the balance of a Bitcoin wallet.

  5. Bitcoin Payments: Facilitates the processing and verification of Bitcoin payments for businesses and individuals.

Conclusion

Integrating Bitcoin balance and transaction data into your applications can provide many benefits, including increased functionality and interoperability. With GoldRush's API endpoints, you can easily build wallet applications, analytics tools, taxation software, payment processors, and more. These tools can help with address tracking, wallet monitoring, and Bitcoin transaction tracking. As Bitcoin adoption continues to grow, the possibilities for innovative applications built on the Bitcoin blockchain are endless.

For more detailed information on bitcoin address lookup, btc address lookup, and other Bitcoin explorer features, visit GoldRush's Documentation.

FAQs

Can I track a Bitcoin wallet without knowing the private key?
Yes, Bitcoin addresses and transactions are publicly available on the blockchain. You don’t need a private key to view wallet balances and transaction histories, but you do need it to move funds.
How can I monitor Bitcoin addresses for real-time transactions?
You can use WebSocket-based blockchain APIs or set up event listeners on services like GoldRush to receive instant updates when a transaction occurs.
Is there a way to track Bitcoin transactions across multiple blockchains?
Bitcoin operates on its own blockchain, but you can use cross-chain analysis tools to trace assets that move between Bitcoin and other networks via wrapped tokens or bridges.
How can I track Bitcoin transactions that go through a mixer or privacy service?
While mixers obscure transaction trails, forensic blockchain analysis tools can sometimes identify patterns or clustered transactions that help track funds indirectly.
Can I check Bitcoin wallet activity without an API?
Yes, you can manually look up Bitcoin addresses on blockchain explorers like mempool.space or Blockchair, but an API provides a more automated and scalable approach.
How long does it take for a Bitcoin transaction to show up in tracking tools?
Unconfirmed transactions appear in the mempool almost instantly, but full confirmation depends on network congestion and the transaction fee paid.
Do Bitcoin transaction tracking tools support multi-signature wallets?
Yes, tracking tools can display multi-signature wallet activity, but they won’t show private signing details—only transaction outputs and balances.
How can I find out if a Bitcoin transaction is stuck?
If a transaction remains unconfirmed for an extended period, it may have a low fee. You can check its status in the mempool and consider using Replace-By-Fee (RBF) or Child Pays for Parent (CPFP) to speed it up.
Can I track a Bitcoin transaction if the sender used a new address each time?
Yes, but it requires address clustering techniques that analyze transaction patterns and connections between addresses to identify related wallets.
Are there legal concerns when tracking Bitcoin transactions?
While blockchain data is public, using it for surveillance, doxxing, or unauthorized investigations could raise ethical and legal concerns, depending on your jurisdiction. Always ensure compliance with relevant laws.

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