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:

{
  type: "seed",
  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:

{
  type: "private-key",
  key: "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:

{
  type: "api",
  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:

{
  type: "read-only",
  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

Usage with Clients

Wallets are configured when constructing clients, but the details of wiring a provider and submitting transactions belong in the clients documentation. A wallet page should only describe the wallet config shape and runtime responsibilities.

Example wallet configuration objects (pass these to your client factory—see the clients docs for wiring examples):

const seedWalletConfig = { type: "seed", mnemonic: "...", accountIndex: 0 };
const privateKeyWalletConfig = { type: "private-key", paymentKey: "..." };
const apiWalletConfig = { type: "api", api: walletApi };
const readOnlyWalletConfig = { type: "read-only", 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 operations
• Read-Only: No security risk (no keys)

See Security Best Practices for detailed guidance.

Next Steps

Explore each wallet type in detail:

• Seed Phrase Wallets - Mnemonic-based signing
• Private Key Wallets - Direct key usage
• API Wallets - CIP-30 integration
• Security - Best practices and checklists
• Clients - Using wallets with providers