> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cosmos.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accounts

> Crypto Wallets (or Accounts) can be created and represented in unique ways on different blockchains. For developers who interface with account types on a Cosmos EVM chain, e.g. during wallet integration on their dApp frontend, it is therefore important to understand that accounts in the Cosmos EVM are implemented to be compatible with Ethereum type addresses.

## Prerequisite Readings

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cosmos SDK Accounts" icon="circle-nodes" href="/sdk/v0.53/learn/beginner/accounts">
    Learn about account structure in Cosmos SDK
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ethereum Accounts" icon="ethereum" href="https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/#ethereum-accounts">
    Understand Ethereum account model
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Creating Accounts

To create one account you can either create a private key, a keystore file (a private key protected by a password), or a mnemonic phrase (a string of words that can access multiple private keys).

Aside from having different security features, the biggest difference between each of these is that a private key or keystore file only creates one account. Creating a mnemonic phrase gives you control of many accounts, all accessible with that same phrase.

Cosmos blockchains, like the Cosmos Hub, support creating accounts with mnemonic phrases, otherwise known as [hierarchical deterministic key generation](https://github.com/confio/cosmos-hd-key-derivation-spec) (HD keys). This allows the user to create accounts on multiple blockchains without having to manage multiple secrets.

HD keys generate addresses by taking the mnemonic phrase and combining it with a piece of information called a [derivation path](https://learnmeabitcoin.com/technical/derivation-paths). Blockchains can differ in which derivation path they support. To access all accounts from an mnemonic phrase on a blockchain, it is therefore important to use that blockchain's specific derivation path.

## Representing Accounts

The terms "account" and "address" are often used interchangeably to describe crypto wallets. In the Cosmos SDK, an account designates a pair of public key (PubKey) and private key (PrivKey). The derivation path defines what the private key, public key, and address would be.

The PubKey can be derived to generate various addresses in different formats, which are used to identify users (among other parties) in the application. A common address form for Cosmos chains is the bech32 format (e.g. `cosmos1...`). Addresses are also associated with messages to identify the sender of the message.

The PrivKey is used to generate digital signatures to prove that an address associated with the PrivKey approved of a given message. The proof is performed by applying a cryptographic scheme to the PrivKey, known as Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), to generate a PubKey that is compared with the address in the message.

## EVM Accounts

Cosmos EVM defines its own custom `Account` type to implement a HD wallet that is compatible with Ethereum type addresses. It uses Ethereum's ECDSA secp256k1 curve for keys (`eth_secp265k1`) and satisfies the [EIP84](https://github.com/ethereum/EIPs/issues/84) for full [BIP44](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0044.mediawiki) paths. This cryptographic curve is not to be confused with [Bitcoin's ECDSA secp256k1](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Secp256k1) curve.

The root HD path for EVM-based accounts is `m/44'/60'/0'/0`. It is recommended to use the Coin type `60` to support Ethereum type accounts, unlike many other Cosmos chains that use Coin type `118` ([list of coin types](https://github.com/satoshilabs/slips/blob/master/slip-0044.md)).

The custom Cosmos EVM EthAccount satisfies the `AccountI` interface from the Cosmos SDK auth module and includes additional fields that are required for Ethereum type addresses:

```go "EthAccountI Interface" expandable theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
// EthAccountI represents the interface of an EVM compatible account
type EthAccountI interface {
    authtypes.AccountI
    
    // EthAddress returns the ethereum Address representation of the AccAddress
    EthAddress() common.Address
    
    // CodeHash is the keccak256 hash of the contract code (if any)
    GetCodeHash() common.Hash
    
    // SetCodeHash sets the code hash to the account fields
    SetCodeHash(code common.Hash) error
    
    // Type returns the type of Ethereum Account (EOA or Contract)
    Type() int8
}
```

**EIP-7702 Support**: Cosmos EVM supports [EIP-7702 code delegation](/evm/v0.5.0/documentation/evm-compatibility/eip-7702), allowing EOAs to temporarily delegate code execution to smart contracts through the `SetCodeHash` functionality.

For more information on Ethereum accounts head over to the [x/vm module](/evm/v0.5.0/documentation/cosmos-sdk/modules/vm).

### Addresses and Public Keys

[BIP-0173](https://github.com/satoshilabs/slips/blob/master/slip-0173.md) defines a new format for segregated witness output addresses that contains a human-readable part that identifies the Bech32 usage.

There are 3 main types of HRP for the `Addresses`/`PubKeys` available by default on the Cosmos EVM:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="User Accounts">
    **Purpose**: Identify users (e.g., transaction senders)

    * **Curve**: `eth_secp256k1`
    * **Address Prefix**: `cosmos`
    * **Pubkey Prefix**: `cosmospub`
    * **Address Length**: 20 bytes
    * **Pubkey Length**: 33 bytes (compressed)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Validator Operators">
    **Purpose**: Identify validator operators

    * **Curve**: `eth_secp256k1`
    * **Address Prefix**: `cosmosvaloper`
    * **Pubkey Prefix**: `cosmosvaloperpub`
    * **Address Length**: 20 bytes
    * **Pubkey Length**: 33 bytes (compressed)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Consensus Nodes">
    **Purpose**: Identify nodes participating in consensus

    * **Curve**: `ed25519`
    * **Address Prefix**: `cosmosvalcons`
    * **Pubkey Prefix**: `cosmosvalconspub`
    * **Address Length**: 20 bytes
    * **Pubkey Length**: 32 bytes
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Address formats for clients

`EthAccount` can be represented in both [Bech32](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bech32) (e.g. `cosmos1...`) and hex (`0x...`) formats for Ethereum's Web3 tooling compatibility.

<Info>
  The Bech32 format is the default for Cosmos-SDK queries and transactions, while the hex format is used for Ethereum compatibility.
</Info>

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Bech32 Address theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
  cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw
  ```

  ```text EIP-55 Hex Address theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
  0x91defC7fE5603DFA8CC9B655cF5772459BF10c6f
  ```

  ```json Public Key theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
  {
    "@type": "/ethermint.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey",
    "key": "AsV5oddeB+hkByIJo/4lZiVUgXTzNfBPKC73cZ4K1YD2"
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Address conversion

The `evmd debug addr <address>` can be used to convert an address between hex and bech32 formats:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Bech32 to Hex theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
  $ evmd debug addr cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw

  Address: [20 87 74 109 255 45 223 158 7 130 139 67 69 211 4 9 25 175 86 82]
  Address (hex): 14574A6DFF2DDF9E07828B4345D3040919AF5652
  Bech32 Acc: cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw
  Bech32 Val: cosmosvaloper1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jjn4d6nn
  ```

  ```bash Hex to Bech32 theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
  $ evmd debug addr 14574A6DFF2DDF9E07828B4345D3040919AF5652

  Address: [20 87 74 109 255 45 223 158 7 130 139 67 69 211 4 9 25 175 86 82]
  Address (hex): 14574A6DFF2DDF9E07828B4345D3040919AF5652
  Bech32 Acc: cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw
  Bech32 Val: cosmosvaloper1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jjn4d6nn
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Key output

<Check>
  The Cosmos SDK Keyring output (i.e `evmd keys`) only supports addresses and public keys in Bech32 format.
</Check>

We can use the `keys show` command with the flag `--bech <type>` to obtain different address formats:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Account (acc)">
    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    $ evmd keys show dev0 --bech acc

    - name: dev0
      type: local
      address: cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw
      pubkey: '{"@type":"/ethermint.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey","key":"AsV5oddeB+hkByIJo/4lZiVUgXTzNfBPKC73cZ4K1YD2"}'
      mnemonic: ""
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Validator (val)">
    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    $ evmd keys show dev0 --bech val

    - name: dev0
      type: local
      address: cosmosvaloper1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jjn4d6nn
      pubkey: '{"@type":"/ethermint.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey","key":"AsV5oddeB+hkByIJo/4lZiVUgXTzNfBPKC73cZ4K1YD2"}'
      mnemonic: ""
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Consensus (cons)">
    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    $ evmd keys show dev0 --bech cons

    - name: dev0
      type: local
      address: cosmosvalcons1rllqa5d97n6zyjhy6cnscc7zu30zjn3f7wyj2n
      pubkey: '{"@type":"/ethermint.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey","key":"A/fVLgIqiLykFQxum96JkSOoTemrXD0tFaFQ1B0cpB2c"}'
      mnemonic: ""
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Querying an Account

You can query an account address using CLI, gRPC, REST, or JSON-RPC:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="CLI">
    ```bash "Query Account via CLI" expandable theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    # NOTE: the --output (-o) flag defines the output format
    evmd q auth account $(evmd keys show dev0 -a) -o text

    '@type': /ethermint.types.v1.EthAccount
    base_account:
      account_number: "0"
      address: cosmos1z3t55m0l9h0eupuz3dp5t5cypyv674jj7mz2jw
      pub_key:
        '@type': /ethermint.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey
        key: AsV5oddeB+hkByIJo/4lZiVUgXTzNfBPKC73cZ4K1YD2
      sequence: "1"
    code_hash: 0xc5d2460186f7233c927e7db2dcc703c0e500b653ca82273b7bfad8045d85a470
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="REST API">
    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    # GET /cosmos/auth/v1beta1/accounts/{address}
    curl -X GET "http://localhost:10337/cosmos/auth/v1beta1/accounts/cosmos14au322k9munkmx5wrchz9q30juf5wjgz2cfqku" \
      -H "accept: application/json"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="JSON-RPC">
    ```bash "JSON-RPC Account Queries" expandable theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    # List accounts using eth_accounts
    curl -X POST --data '{
      "jsonrpc":"2.0",
      "method":"eth_accounts",
      "params":[],
      "id":1
    }' -H "Content-Type: application/json" http://localhost:8545

    # Or using personal_listAccounts
    curl -X POST --data '{
      "jsonrpc":"2.0",
      "method":"personal_listAccounts",
      "params":[],
      "id":1
    }' -H "Content-Type: application/json" http://localhost:8545
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  For JSON-RPC methods, see [`eth_accounts`](/evm/v0.5.0/api-reference/ethereum-json-rpc/methods#eth-accounts) and [`personal_listAccounts`](/evm/v0.5.0/api-reference/ethereum-json-rpc/methods#personal-listAccounts) documentation.
</Note>