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Key Management (Keystore)

ComputeChain CLI (cpc-cli) provides tools for key management through keystore.

Key Location

Directory: ~/.computechain/keys/ (default CLI location)

Structure:

~/.computechain/keys/
├── alice.json
├── bob.json
└── faucet.json

Key File Format:

{
  "name": "alice",
  "address": "cpc1...",
  "public_key": "02a1b2c3...",
  "private_key": "4f3edf98..."   // 32-byte secp256k1 key in hex
}

⚠️ Important: In MVP, keys are stored unencrypted. Do not share key files!

CLI Commands

Create New Key

./cpc-cli keys add <NAME>

Example:

./cpc-cli keys add alice

Output:

Key 'alice' created.
Address: cpc1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j1k2l3m4n5o6p7q8r9s0t
Pubkey:  02a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6q7r8s9t0u1v2w3x4y5z6
Important: Private key saved unencrypted (MVP). Do not share!

Import Existing Key

./cpc-cli keys import <NAME> --private-key <HEX_PRIVATE_KEY>

Example:

./cpc-cli keys import faucet --private-key 4f3edf982522b4e51b7e8b5f2f9c4d1d7a9e5f8c2b6d4e1a3c5b7d9e0f1a2b3c

Usage: - Import faucet key from Node A to CLI - Restore key from backup

List Keys

./cpc-cli keys list

Output:

Name            Address                                          
------------------------------------------------------------
alice           cpc1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j1k2l3m4n5o6p7q8r9s0t
faucet          cpc1f1a2u3c4e5t6k7e8y9a0b1c2d3e4f5g6h7i8j9k0

Show Key Details

./cpc-cli keys show <NAME>

Example:

./cpc-cli keys show alice

Output:

{
  "name": "alice",
  "address": "cpc1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j1k2l3m4n5o6p7q8r9s0t",
  "public_key": "02a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6q7r8s9t0u1v2w3x4y5z6"
}

Note: Private key is not shown in output for security.

Programmatic Access

Using KeyStore in Python

from computechain.cli.keystore import KeyStore

# Create instance
ks = KeyStore()

# Create new key
key = ks.create_key("alice")
print(f"Address: {key['address']}")

# Get existing key
alice_key = ks.get_key("alice")
if alice_key:
    print(f"Address: {alice_key['address']}")
    print(f"Pubkey: {alice_key['public_key']}")
    # ⚠️ Private key available in alice_key['private_key']

# Import key
imported_key = ks.import_key("bob", "4f3edf982522b4e51b7e8b5f2f9c4d1d7a9e5f8c2b6d4e1a3c5b7d9e0f1a2b3c")

# List all keys
all_keys = ks.list_keys()
for k in all_keys:
    print(f"{k['name']}: {k['address']}")

Security

Current Limitations (MVP)

⚠️ Keys stored unencrypted:

  • Files in ~/.computechain/keys/ contain private keys in plain text
  • Do not share these files
  • Do not commit them to Git
  • Make backups in secure location

Recommendations

  1. Backups: 

    # Save private keys in secure location
cat ~/.computechain/keys/alice.json | jq -r '.private_key' > alice_privkey_backup.txt
# Store backup in encrypted storage (e.g., password manager)

  2. File Permissions: 

    # Restrict access to key directory
chmod 700 ~/.computechain/keys/

  3. Different Keys for Different Purposes:

  4. Separate key for validator
  5. Separate key for regular transactions
  6. Do not use faucet key for production

Future Improvements

Planned: - Password encryption for keys - Hardware wallet support - Multi-signature wallets

Node Integration

Using Validator Key

Node A (Genesis):

# Validator key located in:
.node_a/validator_key.hex

Node B:

# Validator key exported from CLI (dev/testing only):
python3 -c "from computechain.cli.keystore import KeyStore; print(KeyStore().get_key('alice')['private_key'])" > .node_b/validator_key.hex

⚠️ In production, generate and store validator keys securely on the node. Exporting private keys from CLI is convenient for devnet, but not recommended for mainnet.

Using Faucet Key

Node A:

# Faucet key located in:
.node_a/faucet_key.hex

Import to CLI:

./cpc-cli keys import faucet --private-key $(cat .node_a/faucet_key.hex)

Usage Examples

Scenario: Creating Validator

# 1. Create Alice key
./cpc-cli keys add alice

# 2. Get Alice address
ALICE_ADDR=$(./cpc-cli keys show alice | grep address | awk '{print $2}' | tr -d '",')

# 3. Fund Alice (from faucet)
./cpc-cli tx send $ALICE_ADDR 2000 --from faucet --node http://localhost:8000

# 4. Stake Alice
./cpc-cli tx stake 1500 --from alice --node http://localhost:8000

# 5. Export key for node
python3 -c "from computechain.cli.keystore import KeyStore; print(KeyStore().get_key('alice')['private_key'])" > validator_key.hex

Next Steps