mmgen-wallet/README.md

MMGen = Multi-Mode GENerator
============================
##### a Bitcoin cold storage solution for the command line

### Description

MMGen is a Bitcoin cold-storage system implemented as a suite of Python
command-line scripts that require only a bare minimum of system resources.  The
scripts work in tandem with the reference Bitcoin Core daemon (bitcoind) running
on both an online and an offline computer to provide a robust solution for
securely storing, tracking, sending and receiving Bitcoins.  "Non-MMGen"
addresses can be tracked and spent as well, creating an easy migration path from
other wallets.

To track address balances, MMGen relies on Bitcoin Core's newly included support
for watch-only addresses.  Binary builds with this feature will become available
with the next release of Bitcoin Core.  In the meantime, users can download the
Bitcoin source from the project's official repository on Github and compile it,
a trivial task on Linux.  Compilation instructions for Windows are also
included, though Windows users may find it easier to wait for the binary from
the upcoming release.

MMGen is designed for reliability by having the reference Bitcoin Core daemon,
rather than less-tested third-party software, do all the "heavy lifting" of
tracking and signing transactions.  It's also designed for privacy: unlike some
other online/offline wallet solutions, MMGen plus Bitcoin Core is a **completely
self-contained system** requiring no external Internet resources except for the
Bitcoin network itself to do its work: no third parties are involved, and thus
no information regarding which addresses you're tracking is leaked to the
outside world.

Like all deterministic wallets, MMGen can generate a virtually unlimited number
of address/key pairs from a single seed.  Your wallet never changes, so you need
back it up only once.  Transactions are signed offline: your seed and private
keys never touch an online computer.

At the heart of the MMGen system is the seed, the "master key" providing access
to all your Bitcoins.  The seed can be stored in four different ways:

  1. as a password-encrypted wallet.  For password hashing, the crack-resistant
	 scrypt hash function is used.  Scrypt's parameters can be customized on the
	 command line to make your wallet's password virtually impossible to crack
	 should it fall into the wrong hands.  The wallet is a tiny, six-line text
	 file suitable for printing or even writing out by hand;

  2. as a seed file: a one-line base-58 representation of your unencrypted seed
     with a checksum;

  3. as an Electrum-like mnemonic of 12, 18 or 24 words; or

  4. as a brainwallet password (this option is recommended for expert users
     only).

The best part is that all these methods can be combined.  If you forget your
mnemonic, for example, you can regenerate it and your keys from the stored
wallet or seed file.  Correspondingly, a lost wallet can be regenerated from the
mnemonic or seed or a lost seed from the wallet or mnemonic.


### Download/Install

> #### [Install on Microsoft Windows][1]

> #### [Install on Debian/Ubuntu Linux][2]


### Using MMGen

> #### [Getting Started with MMGen][3]

> #### [MMGen command help][6]

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[**Forum**][4] |
[PGP Public Key][5] |
Donate: 15TLdmi5NYLdqmtCqczUs5pBPkJDXRs83w

[1]: https://github.com/mmgen/mmgen/wiki/Install-MMGen-on-Microsoft-Windows
[2]: https://github.com/mmgen/mmgen/wiki/Install-MMGen-on-Debian-or-Ubuntu-Linux
[3]: https://github.com/mmgen/mmgen/wiki/Getting-Started-with-MMGen
[4]: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=567069.0
[5]: https://github.com/mmgen/mmgen/wiki/MMGen-Signing-Key
[6]: https://github.com/mmgen/mmgen/wiki/MMGen-command-help