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Web Wallet

What Is A Web Wallet?

What Is A Web Wallet

A web wallet is an online wallet that stores your bitcoin on the cloud or under the custody of a trusted third party.

They are usually offered by third-party custodians, such as bitcoin exchanges or online services. Bitcoin web wallets offer the convenience of being able to access your coins from any internet-connected device. However, because your keys are stored online, they are at greater risk of being hacked than a wallet that stores them offline.

Exchange Wallets

Bitcoin exchanges are online platforms where you can buy, sell, or exchange bitcoin for other digital or fiat currencies. These web wallets are third-party custodians that have control over your private keys and will (hopefully) allow you to access your bitcoin using their online platform.

Some exchanges offer a “vault” option, which means that the private keys are stored offline in an air gapped wallet that is controlled by the exchange. These vaults are designed with the intention of making it more difficult to access your bitcoin by implementing additional security features like time locks, 2FA, or the use of whitelist addresses.

Since custodial wallets put someone else in control of your private keys, it means that if the exchange is hacked or goes bankrupt, you will lose your bitcoin.