O que é uma Carteira de Criptomoedas?

If you’re thinking of buying some crypto – or even NFTs – you’ll need a crypto wallet to keep your assets safe. But just what is a crypto wallet? And how does it work?

Se você é iniciante em cripto e está se perguntando como funcionam as cripto wallets e por que você precisa delas, você veio ao lugar certo. Você pode achar que cripto requer um longo processo de aprendizagem. Pode confiar: fazer este trabalho de base essencial e entender de forma apropriada como funcionam os ativos na blockchain vai preparar você para o sucesso (sem mencionar a segurança) ao embarcar em sua jornada cripto.

Crypto is simply a form of value that exists on the blockchain. Put simply, blockchain is a digital ledger that keeps track of digital assets and, in fact, that’s where your crypto is really stored. The only way you can access the funds at a specific blockchain address is with something called private key. This private key corresponds to your address within the blockchain. It gives you control of that address and the value stored there, and spend or exchange it when you want.

Your private key is a bit like the key to your secret safe. For obvious reasons, it needs to be kept secure and never shared with anyone. This is where a crypto wallet comes in.

So before we explain exactly how they work, get back to basics and explain what a crypto wallet really is.

What Is a Crypto Wallet?

Your crypto wallet is an interface that allows you to access and manage your funds on a blockchain. Despite the name, a crypto wallet does not contain your coins or tokens – those stay on the blockchain itself. Rather, its purpose (in crypto) is to secure the all-important private keys that allow you to access your blockchain address, and everything stored there.

O carteira de criptomoedas também atua como uma espécie de painel de controle. Ela mostra a você exatamente quanta cripto você tem. Permite que você se comunique com a blockchain para enviar ou interagir com esse valor. Você pode dizer que sua carteira de criptomoedas é a ponte entre você e seus fundos na blockchain.

What Is a Crypto Wallet For?

Crypto wallets are for interacting with the blockchain in many ways. You might automatically think of sending and receiving cryptocurrency, and they can do that too, but crypto wallets are also the interface you will use to verify your identity, access specific tools, communities, and more.

If you want to take part in crypto trading, DeFi platforms, or even NFTs, you’re going to need a crypto wallet.

So, how do you choose one? Which crypto wallet is best?

What Types Of Crypto Wallets Are There?

Primarily, there are a few types of cryptocurrency wallets including hot wallets, hardware wallets, custodial wallets, and cold wallets. Let’s go over them now.

What is a Custodial Wallet?

A custodial wallet is usually issued by a centralized exchange, and it does not give you full control over your funds. In short, the exchange keeps hold of the private key that grants true ownership to your assets.

Exchange wallets are custodial, which means that instead of trusting YOU with your own private key, the exchange itself holds it on your behalf. Instead, what you’ll get is login credentials for the platform, and this is how you’ll access your wallet. These platforms allow you to recover your account at ease, but it comes with a price – the cost of true ownership.

Armazenar suas criptomoedas em uma wallet de custódia é como estacionar seu carro na garagem de outra pessoa. Mesmo sendo proprietário do carro, a chave da garagem está com o proprietário da garagem. No caso de o proprietário da garagem não compartilhar essa chave com você, você não poderá dirigir seu carro apesar de possuí-lo. Esta é uma analogia bastante precisa para as carteiras de corretoras.

What Is a Hot Wallet?

Hot wallets (or software wallets) are a type of software that exists digitally and secures your private keys within its interface. Mostly, these wallets are non-custodial, meaning they give you custody of your keys. However, they store your private keys on your host device. Host devices, such as laptops and smartphones are always automatically connected to the internet and this makes them very convenient. You simply need to log in to begin interacting with online applications via the wallet interface on your computer. Easy, fast, and convenient.

But there’s also a downside. When you use a hot wallet, your private keys to access your cryptocurrencies are stored on an internet-connected application. This means the keys to your crypto are accessible should any hacker take control of your computer. The most common way crypto users get scammed is via a hacked device. So having a hot wallet might be easy, but it doesn’t offer the security you might want for your precious crypto.

Se você já ouviu falar de muitos casos de hacks e roubos relacionados à criptomoedas, sabemos exatamente como todas essas notícias podem ser desanimadoras. Embora as carteiras quentes lhe ajudem a fazer transações instantâneas usando suas criptomoedas, não é necessário nem recomendado manter todos os seus fundos conectados à internet.

So with that in mind – how exactly DO you keep those keys away from hackers dwelling online?

The answer lies with the next type of wallet, the most secure of the options:

Hardware Wallets: Crypto Wallets You Can Trust

A hardware wallet is a physical device that stores the private keys to your cryptocurrency funds away from the internet. Even if you make transactions from it, the wallet confirms the transactions in an offline environment. This process helps keep your private keys away from the risks of the internet at all times.

Furthermore, hardware wallets are non-custodial wallets. You are the only one who owns access to your private keys and funds. Thus, when you use one, you own the private keys associated with your cryptocurrencies. If you take crypto security seriously and understand the novel risks faced by this type of asset, you’ll know that this type of storage is the only truly safe option.

What Is a Cold Wallet?

Hardware wallets are often called cold wallets, but this isn’t accurate. Instead, a cold wallet is a specific type of hardware wallet that never signs transactions. Its purpose is purely for “vaulting” assets. To learn more, check out the Ledger Academy article on how to segregate crypto assets.

What is the Safest Crypto Wallet?

There are many types of crypto wallets, and each of them has a different level of security. However, if you’re looking to protect your crypto, the only real option is buying a hardware wallet. This way, you can retain custody of your assets and keep your private keys safe- and offline.

Ledger devices are some of the most secure crypto wallets in existence, securing your private keys with a Secure Element Chip. This component is used in a variety of secure environments such as credit cards, passports, and payment systems. Renowned for bringing the highest level of security to any system where sensitive data is managed.

This means that, beyond keeping your private key offline and away from hackers, the Ledger device itself is also completely impenetrable from external threats, thanks to the state-of-the-art components inside.

If you actively trade cryptocurrencies, you may want to store a part of your crypto funds on an exchange wallet, Ledger is your best choice. Not only due to its incredibly secure hardware wallet but also because of its companion app Ledger Live, a software that enables you to easily manage your assets from your desktop or mobile. Ledger is the gateway to all your crypto needs, safely.

A Carteira de Criptomoedas mais Segura

Ei, sua cripto é preciosa e sua carteira de confiança é a única coisa que está entre esses ativos e os espertos ladrões digitais. Aqui explicamos como ela funciona e porque usar uma hardware wallet é tão vital.