Cryptocurrency wallets work similarly to traditional wallets in that they keep your digital currency secure when not in use.

You can deal in crypto with just your private key and wallet address.

A public key is the same as your bank account number in terms of functionality. Sharing it with other persons or entities allows them to transfer money to you or withdraw money from the account as long as you give permission. A wallet address is a hashed, or compressed, version of your public key used by these individuals to access your funds.

Your bank login information or debit card PIN, on the other hand, is like a secret key. You wouldn't want to hand that over because that would grant me access to your bank account."

Instead of being held in your wallet directly, crypto is only stored there as information about your public and private keys. You can transmit or receive cryptocurrency using these keys while encrypting your private keys.

Different Types of Cryptocurrency Wallets

Hardware Wallet

If you want to keep your private keys safe from prying eyes, you can use a "cold wallet" or "cold storage" device. Many of the most popular cold wallets resemble USB drives in appearance. Paper wallets, which allow you to store your private and public keys on a single sheet of paper, can even be used as cold storage in some cases.

Cold storage is typically regarded as the best way to safeguard your digital assets. Hacking hardware wallets is the most challenging of all wallets since they are physically located away from the internet. However, this does not rule out the possibility of danger.

If you lose or misplace your hardware wallet, you'll have to start all over again from scratch. Count how many times you've misplaced a USB device that contained nothing but documents on it. That's a nuisance in and of itself. However, if you misplace a gadget with the keys to your investments, you could be in for a significant financial setback.

There's always the risk of hacking. You should purchase cold storage equipment straight from the manufacturer rather than from a resale shop. Hackers may have purchased the item, hacked it, repackaged it, and sold it on the black market. This danger exists whenever you buy from a third-party seller.

Software Wallet

Some people refer to them as "hot" wallets. Hardware wallets are similar to handbag billfolds, whereas software wallets are similar to your online banking account.

They're generally linked to an exchange and are often user-friendly, making them more accessible to a broader audience. When it comes to your money, though, there are numerous dangers.

Different types of hot wallets exist. To get one, you can utilize the crypto exchange where you bought your coins, download a program for your desktop computer, or even download an app for your smartphone. However, you may be in greater danger of being hacked if you choose any of these methods because they all leave your keys exposed to the internet.