github.com/fibonacci-chain/fbc@v0.0.0-20231124064014-c7636198c1e9/libs/cosmos-sdk/docs/run-node/keyring.md (about) 1 <!-- 2 order: 1 3 --> 4 5 # Setting up the keyring 6 7 This document describes how to configure and use the keyring and its various backends for an [**application**](../basics/app-anatomy.md). {synopsis} 8 9 The keyring holds the private/public keypairs used to interact with a node. For instance, a validator key needs to be set up before running the blockchain node, so that blocks can be correctly signed. The private key can be stored in different locations, called "backends", such as a file or the operating system's own key storage. 10 11 ## Available backends for the keyring 12 13 Starting with the v0.38.0 release, Cosmos SDK comes with a new keyring implementation 14 that provides a set of commands to manage cryptographic keys in a secure fashion. The 15 new keyring supports multiple storage backends, some of which may not be available on 16 all operating systems. 17 18 ### The `os` backend 19 20 The `os` backend relies on operating system-specific defaults to handle key storage 21 securely. Typically, an operating system's credential sub-system handles password prompts, 22 private keys storage, and user sessions according to the user's password policies. Here 23 is a list of the most popular operating systems and their respective passwords manager: 24 25 - macOS (since Mac OS 8.6): [Keychain](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/keychain-access/welcome/mac) 26 - Windows: [Credentials Management API](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/secauthn/credentials-management) 27 - GNU/Linux: 28 - [libsecret](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libsecret) 29 - [kwallet](https://api.kde.org/frameworks/kwallet/html/index.html) 30 31 GNU/Linux distributions that use GNOME as default desktop environment typically come with 32 [Seahorse](https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Seahorse). Users of KDE based distributions are 33 commonly provided with [KDE Wallet Manager](https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Wallet_Manager). 34 Whilst the former is in fact a `libsecret` convenient frontend, the former is a `kwallet` 35 client. 36 37 `os` is the default option since operating system's default credentials managers are 38 designed to meet users' most common needs and provide them with a comfortable 39 experience without compromising on security. 40 41 ### The `file` backend 42 43 The `file` backend more closely resembles the keybase implementation used prior to 44 v0.38.1. It stores the keyring encrypted within the app's configuration directory. This 45 keyring will request a password each time it is accessed, which may occur multiple 46 times in a single command resulting in repeated password prompts. If using bash scripts 47 to execute commands using the `file` option you may want to utilize the following format 48 for multiple prompts: 49 50 ```sh 51 # assuming that KEYPASSWD is set in the environment 52 $ gaiacli config keyring-backend file # use file backend 53 $ (echo $KEYPASSWD; echo $KEYPASSWD) | gaiacli keys add me # multiple prompts 54 $ echo $KEYPASSWD | gaiacli keys show me # single prompt 55 ``` 56 57 ::: tip 58 The first time you add a key to an empty keyring, you will be prompted to type the password twice. 59 ::: 60 61 ### The `pass` backend 62 63 The `pass` backend uses the [pass](https://www.passwordstore.org/) utility to manage on-disk 64 encryption of keys' sensitive data and metadata. Keys are stored inside `gpg` encrypted files 65 within app-specific directories. `pass` is available for the most popular UNIX 66 operating systems as well as GNU/Linux distributions. Please refer to its manual page for 67 information on how to download and install it. 68 69 ::: tip 70 **pass** uses [GnuPG](https://gnupg.org/) for encryption. `gpg` automatically invokes the `gpg-agent` 71 daemon upon execution, which handles the caching of GnuPG credentials. Please refer to `gpg-agent` 72 man page for more information on how to configure cache parameters such as credentials TTL and 73 passphrase expiration. 74 ::: 75 76 The password store must be set up prior to first use: 77 78 ```sh 79 $ pass init <GPG_KEY_ID> 80 ``` 81 82 Replace `<GPG_KEY_ID>` with your GPG key ID. You can use your personal GPG key or an alternative 83 one you may want to use specifically to encrypt the password store. 84 85 ### The `test` backend 86 87 The `test` backend is a password-less variation of the `file` backend. Keys are stored 88 unencrypted on disk. This backend is meant for testing purposes only and **should never be used 89 in production environments**. 90 91 ### The `kwallet` backend 92 93 The `kwallet` backend uses `KDE Wallet Manager`, which comes installed by default on the 94 GNU/Linux distributions that ships KDE as default desktop environment. Please refer to 95 [KWallet Handbook](https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/kdeutils/kwallet5/index.html) for more 96 information. 97 98 ## Adding keys to the keyring 99 100 ::: warning 101 Make sure you can build your own binary, and replace `simd` with the name of your binary in the snippets. 102 ::: 103 104 Applications developed using the Cosmos SDK come with the `keys` subcommand. For the purpose of this tutorial, we're running the `simd` CLI, which is an application built using the Cosmos SDK for testing and educational purposes. For more information, see [`simapp`](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/tree/v0.40.0-rc3/simapp). 105 106 You can use `simd keys` for help about the keys command and `simd keys [command] --help` for more information about a particular subcommand. 107 108 ::: tip 109 You can also enable auto-completion with the `simd completion` command. For example, at the start of a bash session, run `. <(simd completion)`, and all `simd` subcommands will be auto-completed. 110 ::: 111 112 To create a new key in the keyring, run the `add` subcommand with a `<key_name>` argument. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will solely use the `test` backend, and call our new key `my_validator`. This key will be used in the next section. 113 114 ```bash 115 $ simd keys add my_validator --keyring-backend test 116 117 # Put the generated address in a variable for later use. 118 MY_VALIDATOR_ADDRESS=$(simd keys show my_validator -a --keyring-backend test) 119 ``` 120 121 This command generates a new 24-word mnemonic phrase, persists it to the relevant backend, and outputs information about the keypair. If this keypair will be used to hold value-bearing tokens, be sure to write down the mnemonic phrase somewhere safe! 122 123 By default, the keyring generates a `secp256k1` keypair. The keyring also supports `ed25519` keys, which may be created by passing the `--algo ed25519` flag. A keyring can of course hold both types of keys simultaneously, and the Cosmos SDK's `x/auth` module (in particular its [AnteHandlers](../core/baseapp.md#antehandler)) supports natively these two public key algorithms. 124 125 ## Next {hide} 126 127 Read about [running a node](./run-node.md) {hide} 128