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Keystore

How it works?​

keystore - is a file encrypted by a user's secret. It is used to store private keys from user's wallets.

There are different versions of keystore which have different workflow:

Password type keystore​

Password type keystores encrypt only sensitive part of your data (e.g. wallet secret key). Public information are stored unencrypted (e.g. wallet address).

tons-gui​

tons-gui

tons-interactive​

  1. Open keystore (0:00)
  2. Create keystore (0:16)
  3. Backup keystore (0:42)
  4. Restore keystore (1:23)

tons​

There are several options to work with a password:

  1. Runs a command and enter it through input
$ tons keystore new
Password []:
  1. Runs a command with a --password flag
$ tons keystore new --password admin123
Password []:
  1. Set up environment variable TONS_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD
$ export TONS_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD=admin123
$ tons keystore new

List all keystores in a tons.workdir folder

$ tons keystore list
dev.keystore
test.keystore

Create a new keystore

tons keystore new myNewKeystore --password MY_SECRET

Backup a keystore (password is used to export private keys)

tons keystore backup myNewKeystore ./myNewKeystore.backup --password MY_SECRET

Restore a keystore (password is used for a new keystore)

$ tons keystore restore keystoreFromBackup ./myOldKeystore.backup
Password []: 

# to restore keystore from ton-cli's keystore add flag --from-ton-cli
$ tons keystore restore keystoreFromBackup ./ton-cli.backup --from-ton-cli
Password []:

Yubikey type keystore​

YubiKey type keystores encrypt sensitive data, e.g. wallet secrets, with a private key that is stored on your device. Moreover, non-sensitive data, e.g. wallet address, is also encrypted by AES algorithm.

What is a YubiKey device?​

The YubiKey is a hardware authentication device manufactured by Yubico to protect access to computers, networks, and online services that supports one-time passwords, public-key cryptography, and authentication.

You can buy the device on the official website.

IMPORTANT! tons requirements for a YubiKey device:

  • Multi-protocol support
  • Firmware version > 4.3.0

Example of the device that satisfies the requirements.

To set up your device, read the instructions on the Config page.

tons-interactive​

  1. Create keystore (0:00)
  2. Touch YubiKey every time it starts blinking (when TOUCH_POLICY is set to ALWAYS) (0:15, 0:35)
  3. Other commands are the same as for password keystore, but requires YubiKey touch (if set to ALWAYS).

tons​

Create new yubikey keystore

tons keystore new myNewYubiKeystore --keystore-type yubikey --pin MY_SECRET

Other commands are the same as for simple password keystore. But instead of --password you should use --pin option.