Glossary · deep dive

Hardware wallet

A small device that keeps private keys offline and signs transactions without exposing them.

A hardware wallet is a small device that generates and stores private keys and signs transactions internally. The computer or phone it is connected to only sees the signed result.

Always check the receiving address and amount on the device's own screen, because malware on the computer can change what you see there. Buy directly from the maker, set it up yourself and write down the seed phrase on paper. A device that arrives with a seed already written down is a scam.