Create new wallet

This method allows you to create a new wallet using a BIP39-compliant mnemonic phrase. If you prefer to import an existing wallet—using a keystore file, seed phrase, or other methods—check out the relevant sections of our documentation.

When you create a wallet, you’re essentially generating the “master credentials” needed to hold cryptocurrencies (e.g., ETH, BTC, etc.), retrieve balances, and make transfers. By default, ChainGate uses a secure, randomized process to generate your mnemonic phrase, ensuring compatibility with other BIP39-compatible applications (e.g., MetaMask, Ledger).

What is a mnemonic phrase?

A mnemonic phrase (often called a “seed phrase”) is a group of simple words (like “cat,” “tree,” “bridge,” etc.) used to derive your private keys. This is a human-readable alternative to handling cryptographic keys directly.

Keep your phrase safe!

Treat your mnemonic phrase like a password. If someone obtains it, they can access all assets associated with your wallet.

Basic wallet creation

To create a new wallet with the default configuration (a 12-word English mnemonic), just run:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

const { phrase, wallet } = await initializeWallet.create({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key-from-dashboard'
})

1. apiKey: Replace 'your-api-key-from-dashboard' with the key you get from your ChainGate’s Dashboard.
2. phrase: This is the generated seed phrase (12 English words by default).
3. wallet: This object gives you programmatic access to balances, transfers, and other wallet operations.

Custom configuration

Sometimes you need more control over the mnemonic phrase generation process—maybe you want a language other than English, or a phrase of a different length. In that case, specify these options:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

const { phrase, wallet } = await initializeWallet.create({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key',
  phraseLanguage: 'spanish',  // Optional: defaults to 'english'
  phraseNumOfWords: 24,       // Optional: can be 12/15/18/21/24
})

Supported parameters

Parameter	Type	Values	Default
phraseLanguage	PhraseLanguage	See supported languages	'english'
phraseNumOfWords	PhraseNumOfWords	12, 15, 18, 21, 24	12

Supported languages

ChainGate supports mnemonic generation in Czech, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese. Use any of these as the phraseLanguage value.

Access generated phrase

You can read the mnemonic phrase as soon as the wallet is created:

// Directly from the create method’s result
console.log(phrase)

Or, if you need to retrieve it later from an existing wallet instance:

import { initializeWallet, castWallet } from 'chaingate'

const wallet = await initializeWallet.fromPhrase({
    apiKey: 'your-api-key',
    phrase: 'abandon abandon about ...'
})

castWallet.requirePhraseWallet() // Required if deserializing a wallet

const phrase = await wallet.getPhrase() // Securely access the phrase
console.log(await phrase.getPhrase())

caution

Never log your phrase in a production environment! Printing it is for demonstration purposes only.