TON Address

Overview

Meaning in plain language

A TON address identifies an account or contract using a workchain and account identifier, commonly encoded in raw or user-friendly form. User-friendly forms may indicate bounceable or non-bounceable behavior and test-only status, yet different strings can refer to the same underlying account.

How it works

A TON internal address combines a workchain identifier with account-address bits. It can be displayed as a raw workchain-and-hex value or a user-friendly base64-style string carrying checksum and flags. User-friendly forms may indicate bounceable or non-bounceable behavior and test-only status, yet different strings can refer to the same underlying account. Address behavior also depends on whether the destination account is uninitialized, active, frozen, or deleted.

Wallets must validate checksum, workchain, flags, network, and destination status before sending. Non-bounceable forms are often used when initializing accounts, while bounceable transfers can return value after certain failures. Applications should store the canonical underlying address and treat formatting flags as transaction guidance, not separate account identities.

Settlement consideration: TON address strings can encode the same account with different flags, so workchain, checksum, bounceability, and status all matter.

Where people get it wrong

TON transfers and jetton token transfers use different message flows. Verify network, wallet type, jetton master and required comments before paying.

Related concepts

XRP Address, Stellar Address, Blockchain Network.