Note about TON addresses

An address on the TON network is a unique identifier required to send and receive cryptocurrency (Toncoin and other coins on the network) and digital assets.

Internal networks

As with other blockchain networks, TON has Mainnet and Testnet. They are isolated from each other to prevent users from accidentally sending real coins to a test address or vice versa.

Mainnet - the main network with real coins.

Wallet addresses start with UQ or EQ

Testnet - the test network. Coins here have no value.

Wallet addresses start with 0Q or kQ

Address formats

Each TON wallet address has 3 writing variations:

Non-Bounceable (without Bounce flag)

Address starts with UQ
Non-returnable, suitable for transfers between wallets, as well as for working with modern dApps and advanced smart contracts (e.g., Wallet v5)

Bounceable

Address starts with EQ
Historically standard format
Returns the transaction back if the target address does not exist

Raw format

Raw technical format in hexadecimal representation
Structure: workchain:hash

The Non-Bounceable and Bounceable formats are called Friendly formats because they are designed for user convenience. In reality, they are still the same technical format, simply encoded in Base64 with additional definitions.