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Crypto wallets ​

Learn how a cryptocurrency wallet works, from the keys it holds to the network it talks to, using Monero and the Dhiva Labs wallet Kilonova as the running example. You practise everything on a test network, where the coins have no value.

What you will be able to do ​

By the end of this track you can:

  • explain what a wallet holds (keys, not coins) and why the seed phrase matters more than any password;
  • follow a transaction from your wallet, through the mempool, into a block;
  • say what a Monero node and a light wallet server can learn about you, and choose between them;
  • tell mainnet, stagenet and testnet apart, and practise on a test network first;
  • keep a seed safe, spot the common scams, and make an encrypted backup.

This track explains how the technology and the apps work. It does not give investment, trading or financial advice, and it does not recommend any coin.

Who it is for ​

Anyone curious about how crypto wallets work: students, testers, developers who will build on them, and home users who want to understand a wallet before they trust one. You need no maths and no programming. The optional part of the lab uses a terminal.

The lessons ​

Take them in order. Each one builds on the last and ends with a short quiz.

Lesson 1What is a wallet?Keys, not coins. Addresses, private keys, the seed phrase, and why there is no forgot password.Lesson 2Transactions and blocksFees, the mempool, blocks and confirmations, and how Monero hides senders, receivers and amounts.Lesson 3Nodes and privacyYour own node or someone else. Full sync or a light wallet server, and what each one learns.Lesson 4Networks and practiceMainnet, stagenet and testnet, and why you practise with valueless coins first.Lesson 5Backups and safetySeed on paper, scams to recognise, encrypted backups, and what to do after a leak.LabYour first wallet, safelyCreate a stagenet wallet in Kilonova, prove the seed restores it, receive coins and back it up.

How long it takes ​

Each lesson takes about 15 to 20 minutes to read, with its quiz. The lab takes 30 to 60 minutes, most of it waiting for blocks. Plan on an afternoon for the whole track, or one lesson a day.

Dhiva Labs apps that use this ​

AppWhat it doesWhere this track uses it
KilonovaA Monero wallet for Linux, Windows and Android, in betaEvery lesson, and the lab
poolwatchShows the mempool of your own node in a terminalLesson 2, and the optional part of the lab
lmdb-lws-backupEncrypted backups of a monero-lws light wallet server's databaseLesson 5, for people who run a server

Kilonova is beta software

Kilonova has not been audited: no external security review has been done. Practise on stagenet or testnet, as this track does, and see the Kilonova overview before you use it with anything of value.

Before you start ​

Laws and taxes about cryptocurrency differ from country to country, and you are responsible for following the ones that apply to you.

Next steps ​