P2PK
script · fundamentals
Pay-to-Public-Key — an early Bitcoin output type that locks coins directly to a public key.
P2PK (Pay-to-Public-Key) is a transaction output type that requires a valid signature for a given public key to spend. Unlike P2PKH, it does not use a hash of the public key, so the public key is revealed when the output is created.
P2PK is mostly historical in everyday wallet use. P2PKH became preferred because it hides the public key until spend time and fits address-based payment workflows better. Modern wallets rarely create new P2PK outputs, but understanding it helps explain how Bitcoin Script locks value to keys.
Related terms
P2PKH
→A common script type where the output can be spent by proving knowledge of the private key corresponding to a hashed public key.
script · address
Signature
→A cryptographic proof that a message was authorized by the holder of a private key.
cryptography
Sighash
→Signature-hash flags that define which transaction parts a signature commits to in Bitcoin-style scripts.
bitcoin · scripting
Output
→A spendable unit of cryptocurrency created by transactions; referenced as an input when later spent.
blockchain