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Wallets

Wallets manage private keys and prove ownership through cryptographic signatures. The Evolution SDK provides four wallet types, each designed for different security models and operational contexts.

Overview​

What wallets do: Sign transactions, derive addresses, prove ownership of funds through cryptographic operations.

What wallets don't do: Query blockchain, build transactions, or submit to network—those capabilities come from combining wallets with providers in clients.

Wallet Types​

Seed Phrase Wallet​

Derives keys from 24-word mnemonic phrase using BIP39/BIP44 standards.

Configuration:

{
  mnemonic: "fitness juice ankle...",
  accountIndex: 0
}

Characteristics:

  • Keys: Derived from mnemonic + account index
  • Signing: Local cryptographic operations
  • Best for: Development, testing, multi-account setups
  • Security: Low (keys in memory)

Private Key Wallet​

Uses direct extended private key material without mnemonic derivation.

Configuration:

{
  paymentKey: "xprv..."
}

Characteristics:

  • Keys: Direct extended private key
  • Signing: Local cryptographic operations
  • Best for: Backend automation, scripts, single-account operations
  • Security: Medium (requires secure vault storage)

API Wallet (CIP-30)​

Delegates signing to external wallet applications via CIP-30 standard.

Configuration:

{
  api: walletApi  // From window.cardano.{walletName}.enable()
}

Characteristics:

  • Keys: External (user's device or hardware wallet)
  • Signing: User approves each signature through wallet UI
  • Best for: User-facing dApps, browser applications
  • Security: High (user controls keys)

Read-Only Wallet​

Observes an address without any signing capability.

Configuration:

{
  address: "addr1...",
  rewardAddress: "stake1..."  // Optional
}

Characteristics:

  • Keys: None (address only)
  • Signing: Not possible
  • Best for: Monitoring, auditing, backend transaction building
  • Security: Highest (no keys present)

Comparison Matrix​

TypeHas KeysCan SignKey StoragePrimary Use Case
Seed PhraseYes (local)YesMemory/diskDevelopment, testing
Private KeyYes (local)YesSecure vaultBackend automation
API WalletNo (external)Via userUser's deviceFrontend dApps
Read-OnlyNoneNoN/AObservation, monitoring

Usage with Clients​

Wallet configs are passed to capability methods like .withSeed(), .withPrivateKey(), .withCip30(), and .withAddress(). The details of wiring a provider and submitting transactions belong in the clients documentation.

In particular, .withCip30() gives you signing capability without provider-backed submission on its own. Frontend flows still rely on a provider-backed client or backend to broadcast the signed transaction.

Example wallet configuration objects:

const seedWalletConfig = { mnemonic: "...", accountIndex: 0 };
const privateKeyWalletConfig = { paymentKey: "..." };
const apiWalletConfig = { api: walletApi };
const readOnlyWalletConfig = { address: "addr1..." };

See Clients documentation for concrete examples that combine a provider and a wallet to build a client capable of querying and submitting transactions.

Security Considerations​

Each wallet type has different security implications:

  • Seed Phrase: Convenient but exposes mnemonic in code/memory
  • Private Key: Better for automation, requires vault (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault)
  • API Wallet: Highest security, user controls all signing approvals
  • Read-Only: No security risk (no keys)

See Security Best Practices for detailed guidance.

Next Steps​

Explore each wallet type in detail: