Table of Contents
There are physical wallets that store physical, tangible currencies like the INR, USD, Euro, etc. Then there are other wallets that store digital information necessary for conducting monetary transactions. Bitcoin wallets belong in the second category.
Nowadays, even fiat currency transfers happen from mobile-based wallet apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, etc.
But these wallets function by accessing your primary bank account or the money stored in the wallet. On the contrary, a BTC wallet is like your bank account.
Bitcoin wallets store digital information. Information regarding all BTC transactions and balances. Bitcoin wallets also contain the private and public keys necessary for conducting a BTC transaction. The other term for public keys is ‘wallet address’.
Wallet addresses are similar to your bank account details like account number, IFSC code, etc, that you share publicly for receiving payments.
Private keys are akin to your internet banking password or debit card pin.
This was an overview. Let’s look at them in detail.
How do Bitcoin Wallets Work?
Bitcoin wallets are applications that facilitate BTC transactions by interacting with the Bitcoin blockchain.
Due to the underlying decentralized architecture, all bitcoins exist on the blockchain. No one owns any BTC in their bitcoin wallets. As mentioned earlier, BTC wallets only store public and private keys/wallet address.
A wallet’s combination of public and private keys helps access bitcoins from the blockchain for financial settlements.
When you buy bitcoin, you pay for a section of ownership on the Bitcoin blockchain. The private key in bitcoin wallets keeps that ownership safe.
Multi-Sig Wallets
Sending bitcoin from a wallet results in the creation of a transaction that has to be signed.
Transactions from single key wallets need only one signature. However, this exposes the wallet to risks of hacking and theft. Apart from this, the loss of the private key could make the available funds in the wallet unusable forever.
Multi-sig wallets need ‘multiple signatures’ to sign off transactions, and hence, reduce phishing risks considerably.
Generally, multi-sig wallets have two or more users. Therefore, the number of signatures required to authenticate transactions is less than or equal to the number of users. To know more about multi-sig wallets check out the video below:
Types of Bitcoin Wallets
Bitcoin wallets can be divided into three basic categories – software, hardware, paper.
Software Wallets
- Desktop Wallets – Desktop bitcoin wallets are PC and laptop-based wallets. They are free to download and install and are one of the safest wallet options out there. But a desktop wallet generally stores private keys in the computer’s hard drive. If the hard drive gets damaged or lost, the stored bitcoin funds could be lost forever. Some of the popular desktop wallets are Bitcoin Core, Electrum, Exodus, etc.
- Mobile Wallets – Mobile or smartphone wallets are a bit more convenient to use than desktop bitcoin wallets. They store private keys in the phone’s hard drive and make it easier to conduct BTC transactions. It is also super simple to track your bitcoin investment portfolio on a mobile wallet. It is advisable to active 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) on mobile bitcoin wallets for additional security. Some of the well-known smartphone wallets are Trust Wallet, WazirX, Atomic Wallet, Edge, Freewallet, etc.
- Web Wallets – Website based BTC wallets exist on the internet and can be accessed anywhere, anytime, and on any device – laptops or smartphones. However, there are physical/cloud online servers that store private keys of web wallets. You should exercise care and caution in choosing and handling a web wallet for your bitcoin transactions. Nonetheless, some options have a comparatively low chance of failure – Xapo, Strongcoin, etc.
Hardware Wallets
To date hardware bitcoin wallets or cold storage wallets are trustworthy options for storing BTC private keys. There have been no verifiable incidents on funds being stolen from hardware wallets.
They look like USB sticks/pen drives and are immune to computer viruses (as claimed by few hard wallet manufacturers). These wallets provide recovery options to retrieve private keys in case they get lost.
Although they are not free unlike the web, desktop, or mobile wallets but an investment in hardware bitcoin wallets guarantees the safety of your BTC holdings. But for that, you need to buy a hardware wallet from only the most trusted manufacturers in the industry. Some of them are Trezor, Ledger, KeepKey.
Paper Wallets
Paper BTC wallets are QR codes of public and private keys printed on paper. They just provide offline storage support.
Both QR codes need to be scanned onto a software wallet to make a transfer. Paper wallets are difficult to be hacked but precautions need to be taken before creating one.
No one should be around when you are printing paper wallets. Use only offline printers for printing the wallets. It is advisable to use an operating system like Ubuntu, running from a flash drive or DVD.
The website generating the public and private BTC keys should run offline (before the keys are generated). Lastly, paper bitcoin wallets are susceptible to damage through spillage or wear and tear. You should protect the printed information with a good quality lamination or plastic coating.
Choosing the right wallet can go a long way in protecting your bitcoin holdings from bad actors and malicious players. After you buy bitcoin, make sure to walk that extra mile and secure your investment.
Also you can download the wallet and Start Trading Now!
Android – WazirX – Bitcoin Wallet
iOS – WazirX – Bitcoin Wallet
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bitcoin Cash A Good Investment?
Bitcoin Cash is a hard fork of Bitcoin formed in 2017 to address Bitcoin's scalability and challenges. Bitcoin Cash seeks to make global transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure. Bitcoin Cash is now accepted by thousands of online and offline businesses all over the world. Studied correctly, Bitcoin Cash may be an investment worthy of consideration.
Is Bitcoin Legal In India?
In India, Bitcoin is not illegal. Because of cryptocurrency's rapid evolution, policymakers and regulators seemed to have recognized the chance to accept the new technology early. From the infamous 'RBI ban' in 2018 to reports of an impending bill banning cryptos in 2021 that has yet to develop, India has seen its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to Bitcoin regulation. Last year, the Supreme Court Of India approved the use of Bitcoin throughout the country. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful.
What Are The Chances Of Bitcoin Crashing?
Two Yale University economists (Yukun Liu and Aleh Tsyvinski) produced research titled "Risks and Returns of Cryptocurrency" in 2018. They looked at the possibility of Bitcoin crashing to zero in a single day. The authors discovered that the chances of an undefined tragedy crashing Bitcoin to zero ranged from 0 percent to 1.3 percent and was around 0.4 percent at the time of publishing, using Bitcoin's history returns to determine its risk-neutral disaster probability. Others claim that because Bitcoin has no intrinsic value, it will inevitably crash to zero. On the other hand, Bitcoin advocates argue that the currency is backed by customer confidence and mathematics.
What Is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that may be purchased, traded, and traded without intermediary like a bank. Bitcoin is built on the blockchain, which is a distributed digital ledger. Wei Dai suggested a new kind of money that relies on cryptography rather than a central authority to oversee its production and transactions on the cypherpunks mailing list in 1998. Bitcoin was the first application of that notion. In 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto sent out the first Bitcoin specification and proof of concept to a cryptography mailing group.
What Is Meant By Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a digital currency that was initially released in January 2009. It is based on ideas offered by Satoshi Nakamoto, a mysterious and pseudonymous figure, in a whitepaper. The name of the person or individuals who invented technology has not been revealed. Bitcoin promises lower transaction fees than other online payment systems, and unlike government-issued currencies, it is decentralized.
How Many Bitcoins Will Ever Be Created?
The source code of Bitcoin stipulates that it must have a restricted and finite quantity. As a result, only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be generated. These Bitcoins are added to the Bitcoin supply at a predetermined rate of one block every ten minutes on average. The supply of Bitcoins will be depleted once miners have unlocked this number of Bitcoins. It's possible, however, that the protocol for Bitcoin will be altered to allow for a higher supply.
Is Bitcoin Mining Free?
Bitcoin mining isn't free, but it can be tried on a budget. Bitcoin mining is an essential part of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development and the act of issuing new Bitcoins. It is accomplished by the use of cutting-edge computers that tackle complicated computational arithmetic problems. The effort of auditor miners is rewarded. They're in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions go off without a fuss and that they're legal.
How To Make Bitcoin?
Bitcoin mining is not just the process of putting new Bitcoins into circulation, but it is also an essential part of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development. It is carried out with the assistance of highly advanced computers that answer challenging computational math problems. Miners are rewarded for their efforts as auditors. They are in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions are legitimate. Satoshi Nakamoto, who is the founder of Bitcoin, innovated this standard for keeping Bitcoin users ethical. Miners help to prevent the "double-spending problem" by confirming transactions.
How To Invest In Bitcoin?
Bitcoin may be invested in two ways: through mining or exchanges. Bitcoin mining is carried out by high-powered computers that solve challenging computational arithmetic problems that are too difficult to complete by hand and complex enough to tax even the most powerful computers. WazirX, a Bitcoin exchange, is another alternative.
How Can I Get Bitcoin?
To begin, go to the WazirX website and register. After that, you will receive a verification email. The link received by verification mail will only be available for a few seconds, so make sure you click it as quickly as possible. This will successfully verify your email address. The following step is to set up security, so choose the best solution for you. After you've set up the security, you'll be given the option of continuing with or without completing the KYC process. Following that, you'll be sent to the Funds & Transfers section, where you can begin depositing Bitcoins into your wallet. You may also use INR to fund your WazirX Bitcoin wallet and then use it to purchase Bitcoin.
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is currently unregulated. Kindly ensure that you undertake sufficient risk assessment when trading cryptocurrencies as they are often subject to high price volatility. The information provided in this section doesn't represent any investment advice or WazirX's official position. WazirX reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or change this blog post at any time and for any reasons without prior notice.
