Ethereum: Create Deterministic address without create2

Creating Deterministic Ethereum Addresses Without create2

In Solidity, creating a deterministic (i.e., unique) address is crucial when dealing with private keys and accounts. However, Truffle’s create2 function provides an alternative way to create addresses, especially when you don’t plan to deploy new contracts. In this article, we’ll explore how to create deterministic Ethereum addresses without using create2.

Understanding Deterministic Addresses

In Solidity, a deterministic address is one that always produces the same output given the same input (private key). This ensures that users can trust their private keys and reduces the risk of account compromise.

create2 Functionality

Truffle’s create2 function allows you to create addresses with a fixed set of prefixes, such as 0x, 0xA, or 0xB. However, when using create2, you are limited to the available prefixes and cannot generate custom prefix combinations.

Creating Deterministic Addresses Without create2

To create deterministic addresses without create2, you will need to use a different approach. One solution is to use a library like ethers-polyfill-accounts or truffle-ethers. These libraries provide a way to work with Ethereum accounts and generate custom prefixes.

Here is an example of how you can create a deterministic address without using create2:

Install the required library

First, install the required library:

npm install ethers-polyfill-accounts

Create a new Solidity file (e.g.addressFunction.sol) and add the following code:

solidity pragma ^0.8.0;
import "
contract CustomAddress {
function createDeterministicAddress() public return (address) {
// Generate a random number to ensure uniqueness
uint256 random = uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(block.timestamp)));
// Create a custom prefix
address newPrefix = 0x...; // Replace with the desired prefix
// Return the generated address
return keccak256(abi.encodePacked(newPrefix, random));
}
}

You can now call the createDeterministicAddressfunction to generate a custom deterministic address:

CustomAddress memory address = CustomAddress(addressFunction);
addressAddress = address.createDeterministicAddress();

In this example, we define a custom contract called CustomAddress. ThecreateDeterministicAddress function generates a random number and uses it as a seed for a custom prefix. This ensures that all generated addresses will be unique.

Conclusion

While using `create2can simplify your workflow in some cases, there are scenarios where it is necessary to create deterministic addresses without it. By following this guide, you have learned how to create custom deterministic addresses in Solidity without relying on thecreate2function. Don't forget to choose a library likeethers-polyfill-accountsortruffle-ethers` to work with Ethereum accounts and generate custom prefixes.