Wallets

Wallets

Wallets allow a user to make and accept payments using Bitcoin. At the most basic, a wallet stores a public key, which some refer to as a Bitcoin address, and its associated private key. They come in a variety of forms: apps for mobile devices and computers, hardware devices, and paper tokens. When making a purchase with a mobile device, the use of QR codes to simplify transactions is ubiquitous.
Bitcoin functions using public-key cryptography, in which a pair of cryptographic keys, one public and one private, are generated. In the case of Bitcoin, the public key functions as an address to which payments can be sent, and the private key acts as a safeguard; it must be presented when making a payment from an address. Because anyone with a private key can spend all of the bitcoins associated with its corresponding public key, securing and protecting is important to prevent theft, which has occurred on numerous occasions. The practical day-to-day security of Bitcoin wallets remains an on-going concern.