[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":266},["ShallowReactive",2],{"post:\u002F2017-08-16-best-bitcoin-wallet-cold-vs-hot-vs-exchange":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":257,"description":258,"extension":259,"meta":260,"navigation":261,"path":262,"seo":263,"stem":264,"__hash__":265},"content\u002F2017-08-16-best-bitcoin-wallet-cold-vs-hot-vs-exchange.md","What's the best wallet to store my Bitcoin? Cold Wallet vs Hot Wallet vs Exchange",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":245},"minimark",[9,17,23,28,33,36,40,43,51,54,58,62,77,81,92,95,99,103,132,136,159,163,186,190,230,233,239],[10,11,12],"p",{},[13,14],"img",{"alt":15,"src":16},"Bitcoin wallet icon, a leather wallet holding a Bitcoin coin.","\u002Fimages\u002Fbitcoin-wallet.webp",[10,18,19],{},[20,21,22],"em",{},"Bitcoin wallet, from flaticon.com.",[24,25,27],"h1",{"id":26},"first-things-first-you-need-to-know-that","First things first, you need to know that...",[29,30,32],"h2",{"id":31},"you-are-your-own-bank","You are your own bank",[10,34,35],{},"Bitcoin's technology brought us a new paradigm where you take on the job of\ncustodying (holding and protecting) your own money, in whatever way feels safest\nand most comfortable to you. So, unless you don't care about your money at all,\nany security measure is worth it.",[29,37,39],{"id":38},"but-what-are-you-actually-custodying","But what are you actually custodying?",[10,41,42],{},"You've probably got a leather wallet with a few hundred-dollar bills inside,\nright? Okay, some tens? Come on, not even a single crumpled one-dollar bill? The\npoint is, you can physically put some cash inside it. That does not happen with\nBitcoin.",[10,44,45,46,50],{},"In other words, ",[47,48,49],"strong",{},"bitcoins are not \"inside\" the wallet or on the websites",".\nThese are just clients (software) that let you use a pair of public and private\nkeys.",[10,52,53],{},"Sticking with the bank analogy, the public key would be your \"account number\"\n(on the blockchain). I just need to know it to send you something. The private\nkey would be the \"password\". I just need to know it to drain the money.",[24,55,57],{"id":56},"okay-got-it-how-do-i-get-access-to-my-bitcoins","Okay, got it... How do I get access to my bitcoins?",[29,59,61],{"id":60},"exchanges-and-wallet-websites","Exchanges and wallet websites",[10,63,64,65,68,69,76],{},"The elders of this digital-money world are tired of repeating it... ",[47,66,67],{},"AN\nEXCHANGE IS NOT A WALLET",". And unless I'm going crazy, we were making an analogy\nwith a bank, right? So, when you leave your money at the bank, it isn't yours\nanymore, it's the bank's. If it goes bust or gets robbed, you can say goodbye to\nthat hard-earned money and cry in the fetal position. With bitcoins, \"it's the\nsame thing\". By leaving your coins in exchange addresses or on websites where\nsomeone else has access to your private key, you're handing your ownership over\nto a third party. And we already know the risks of that (see\n",[70,71,75],"a",{"href":72,"rel":73},"https:\u002F\u002Ftecnoblog.net\u002Fnoticias\u002Fmtgox-fecha-bitcoins-somem\u002F",[74],"nofollow","mtgox",").",[29,78,80],{"id":79},"hot-wallet-vs-cold-wallet","Hot Wallet vs Cold Wallet",[82,83,84],"blockquote",{},[10,85,86,87],{},"hot wallets are connected to the internet while cold wallets are not. - ",[70,88,91],{"href":89,"rel":90},"https:\u002F\u002Fstellabelle.medium.com\u002Fcold-wallet-vs-hot-wallet-whats-the-difference-a00d872aa6b1",[74],"Leah Stella Stephens",[10,93,94],{},"In short, Hot Wallets are meant to be your \"everyday\" wallet, while Cold Wallets\nare meant to be the \"vaults\" for your coins.",[24,96,98],{"id":97},"wallets-i-recommend","Wallets I recommend",[29,100,102],{"id":101},"software-on-chain","Software (on-chain):",[104,105,106,115,118,125],"ul",{},[107,108,109,110,114],"li",{},"Sparrow (",[70,111,112],{"href":112,"rel":113},"https:\u002F\u002Fsparrowwallet.com",[74],")",[107,116,117],{},"Samourai (RIP)",[107,119,120,121,114],{},"BlueWallet (",[70,122,123],{"href":123,"rel":124},"https:\u002F\u002Fbluewallet.io",[74],[107,126,127,128,114],{},"Electrum (",[70,129,130],{"href":130,"rel":131},"https:\u002F\u002Felectrum.org",[74],[29,133,135],{"id":134},"hardware-on-chain-for-signing-transactions-offline","Hardware (on-chain, for signing transactions offline):",[104,137,138,145,152],{},[107,139,140,141,114],{},"Cobo Vault (",[70,142,143],{"href":143,"rel":144},"https:\u002F\u002Fcobo.com\u002Fhardware-wallet",[74],[107,146,147,148,114],{},"TrezorT (",[70,149,150],{"href":150,"rel":151},"https:\u002F\u002Ftrezor.io",[74],[107,153,154,155,114],{},"A USB stick with Tails (",[70,156,157],{"href":157,"rel":158},"https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FabXkgXQ8BvI",[74],[29,160,162],{"id":161},"metal-wallets-for-storing-your-seed","Metal wallets (for storing your seed):",[104,164,165,172,179],{},[107,166,167,168,114],{},"StackBit (",[70,169,170],{"href":170,"rel":171},"https:\u002F\u002Fstackbit.me",[74],[107,173,174,175,114],{},"CryptoSteel Capsule (",[70,176,177],{"href":177,"rel":178},"https:\u002F\u002Fcryptosteel.com\u002Fproduct\u002Fcryptosteel-capsule\u002F",[74],[107,180,181,182,114],{},"Or you can make your own (",[70,183,184],{"href":184,"rel":185},"https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FTtgsE4Cj5D4",[74],[29,187,189],{"id":188},"software-off-chain-lightning","Software (off-chain, lightning):",[104,191,192,206,219],{},[107,193,194,195,114,199],{},"Phoenix (",[70,196,197],{"href":197,"rel":198},"https:\u002F\u002Fphoenix.acinq.co",[74],[200,201,202],"sup",{},[70,203,205],{"href":204},"#fn-1","1",[107,207,208,209,114,213],{},"ZBD (",[70,210,211],{"href":211,"rel":212},"https:\u002F\u002Fzebedee.io\u002F",[74],[200,214,215],{},[70,216,218],{"href":217},"#fn-2","2",[107,220,221,222,114,226],{},"WOS (",[70,223,224],{"href":224,"rel":225},"https:\u002F\u002Fwalletofsatoshi.com\u002F",[74],[200,227,228],{},[70,229,218],{"href":217},[231,232],"hr",{},[10,234,235,238],{},[200,236,205],{"id":237},"fn-1"," sovereign (you hold the keys)",[10,240,241,244],{},[200,242,218],{"id":243},"fn-2"," custodial (you don't hold the keys, they're under a third party's custody)",{"title":246,"searchDepth":247,"depth":247,"links":248},"",2,[249,250,251,252,253,254,255,256],{"id":31,"depth":247,"text":32},{"id":38,"depth":247,"text":39},{"id":60,"depth":247,"text":61},{"id":79,"depth":247,"text":80},{"id":101,"depth":247,"text":102},{"id":134,"depth":247,"text":135},{"id":161,"depth":247,"text":162},{"id":188,"depth":247,"text":189},"2017-08-16","Bitcoin makes you your own bank. Here's the difference between cold wallets, hot wallets, and exchanges, plus the wallets I actually use to custody my coins.","md",{},true,"\u002F2017-08-16-best-bitcoin-wallet-cold-vs-hot-vs-exchange",{"title":5,"description":258},"2017-08-16-best-bitcoin-wallet-cold-vs-hot-vs-exchange","0--2SZPEc8ROJnM_80vbimuw6i1Vg2lBWp8OORgSa30",1780086317116]