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Import from seed

A seed is a low-level representation of your wallet backup. Unlike mnemonic phrases (BIP39), seeds can be either a Uint8Array or a hex string. Importing from a seed is a straightforward way to restore or clone your existing wallet.

Keep your seed safe!

Your seed grants full access to all assets in your wallet. If someone obtains it, they can spend and manage your funds without restriction.

Initialize from a valid seed​

Use a valid seed to create a wallet instance. Below are examples using both a hex string and a Uint8Array:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

// Using a hex string
const wallet = await initializeWallet.fromSeed({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key-from-dashboard',
  seed: 'abcdef1234567890...'
})

// Or using a Uint8Array
const seedBytes = new Uint8Array([0xab, 0xcd, 0xef, ...])
const walletFromBytes = await initializeWallet.fromSeed({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key-from-dashboard',
  seed: seedBytes
})

Accessing wallet​

Once initialized, you can use all standard wallet methods:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

const wallet = intializeWallet.fromSeed({...})
const bitcoin = wallet.currency('bitcoin')
console.log(await bitcoin.getAddress())

Check seed validity​

Before initializing your wallet, you can validate the seed using checkSeed(). This helps ensure your seed is correctly formatted (either a valid Uint8Array or a valid hex string) and prevents errors during wallet creation:

import { initializeWallet } from 'chaingate'

const seed = 'abcdef1234567890...'

// Check if the seed is valid
const isValid = await initializeWallet.checkSeed(seed)
if (!isValid) {
  throw new Error('Invalid seed')
}

// Proceed with initialization if valid
const wallet = await initializeWallet.fromSeed({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key-from-dashboard',
  seed
})
note

checkSeed() returns true only if the seed is a properly formatted hex string or a valid Uint8Array.

Access the seed​

If you need to retrieve the seed from an already initialized wallet, call wallet.getSeed(). However, exercise extreme caution when accessing the seed. Storing or logging it can create security risks:

import { initializeWallet, castWallet } from 'chaingate'

const wallet = await initializeWallet.fromSeed({
  apiKey: 'your-api-key',
  seed: 'abcdef1234567890...'
})

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

const seed = await wallet.getSeed()
console.log(seed.hex) // Logs your sensitive seed data