Creating Wax accounts via Waxblock.io (and MCW Claims!)
Creating and Claiming WAX Accounts
This guide walks you through creating a brand new WAX account using WaxBlock.io and claiming control of an existing WAX account via MyCloudWallet.com. We'll cover key generation, account creation, importing accounts into your Anchor Wallet for easy management, and considerations for securing shorter account names.
Understanding WAX Account Keys
Before diving in, it's essential to understand key pairs in blockchain technology. On EOSIO-based blockchains like WAX, each account is controlled by a pair of cryptographic keys: a public key and a private key.
Private Key (PVT_K1_): This is a secret, random string that acts as your account's password. Never share your private key with anyone! Losing access to your private key means losing access to your account.
Public Key (PUB_K1_): This is derived from its private key and is used to verify transactions. You can share your public key freely.
The number of possible these key combinations is astronomically large, making collisions (duplicate keys) practically impossible.
Part 1: Creating a New WAX Account via WaxBlock.io
1. Generate a Key Pair
The first step is to generate a new key pair. You can use a tool like WaxBlock's Key Generator:
This tool will provide you with two long strings:
A public key starting with
PUB_K1_...A private key starting with
PVT_K1_...
2. Create a WAX Account
Go to the WaxBlock Account Creator: waxblock.io/wallet/create-account.
Enter your desired 12-character account name.
In the "Public Owner Key" and "Public Active Key" fields, paste the PUB_K1 key you generated earlier.
For simplicity, you can use the same public key for both fields. Alternatively, you can generate two different key pairs and use the respective public keys.
Resource Allocation: The default NET, CPU, and RAM amounts are sufficient for creating the account. However, if you are creating the account from an existing .wam account, you might want to allocate a little extra CPU or RAM based on your expected usage.
Click "Create Account" to register the 12-letter WAX account, which will be owned by the private key (PVT_K1) that corresponds to the public key(s) you entered as its "Active/Owner" Keys.
Caution: After generating a key pair, make sure you save them correctly. Sometimes, users create an account and then realize they copy-pasted the wrong private key, losing access to their account forever.
3. Import the Account into Anchor Wallet
Download and install Anchor Wallet from www.greymass.com/anchor.
Open Anchor Wallet and click "Add Account"., Select "Import Account" (usually the last option).
Copy and paste your private key (PVT_K1) into the provided field.
This is the only time you really need to enter your private key, and only do it into trusted wallets like Anchor.
Anchor Wallet will search the blockchain for accounts associated with that private key and display them for you to import.
Select the account you just created and choose to import it.
You will be presented with options such as enabling biometrics for transaction signing. Configure these settings according to your preferences.
Important Security Reminder: Never share your private key with anyone, and never enter it into untrusted dApps or websites. Scammers may try to trick you into revealing your private key.
Optional: Securing Shorter Account Names
If you desire an account name shorter than 12 characters (e.g., "bigboss"), you can participate in the Name Bid system:
Visit waxblock.io/namebids.
Bid for your desired name (re/overbidding a name in the queue, needs to increase the amount by more than +10%).
Your bid must be the highest Premium Namebid for 24 hours straight to win the name.
Part 2: Soft Claiming an Existing WAX Account from MyCloudWallet.com
If you already have a WAX account created via MyCloudWallet.com (WCW), you might want to gain more direct control over your account by claiming the keys and importing them into a wallet like Anchor.
1. Find Your/Generate a New Key Pair
If you've already created your own Wax Accounts previously, and you already have control of your own Public/Private Keys from the past, then you can re-use one of these and take over the ownership of your Cloudwallet to be held by the same Keys there (much like a Key Ring)
Otherwise, generate a new key pair using a tool like WaxBlock’s Key Generator, like discussed up previously: https://waxblock.io/wallet/utilities
This new key pair will be used to take ownership of your account.
2. Soft Claim via MyCloudWallet
Go to MyCloudWallet.com and log in to your account.,
Navigate to "Settings" -> "Account Claiming.",
Enter the newly generated public and private keys in the appropriate fields. By doing this, you are assigning the new key pair to your existing account.,
Soft Claim vs. Hard Claim:
Soft Claim: You can still use the MyCloudWallet.com portal and all its features, even after claiming a copy of your private keys to import/control from Anchor.
Hard Claim: You take over full control, forcing MyCloudWallet to delete your keys from their servers. In this case, you would not be able to log in via MyCloudWallet anymore.
3. Import the Account into Anchor Wallet (Same as Before)
Follow the same steps as in Part 1 (Understand Wax Account Keys & 1. Generate a Key Pair) to import the account into Anchor Wallet using the new private key you generated and claimed.
YouTube Video Guide here from MikeD explaining how to Claim your Wax Accounts too:
In Conclusion
You now have the ability to both create new WAX accounts and claim existing ones, giving you full control over your digital assets. Using Anchor Wallet provides an additional layer of security and flexibility for managing your accounts. By following these steps, you can easily set up and manage your WAX accounts, ensuring you're always in control!
Last updated