# Wallet Setup

Your Verus node includes a built-in wallet. This guide covers creating addresses, receiving VRSC, checking balances, and keeping your funds safe.

Prerequisites: Your daemon should be running and synced. See First Steps if you haven't done that yet.

# Creating Your First Address

Generate a new transparent address:

./verus getnewaddress

This returns an address starting with R (e.g., RKjh38dkj2...). This is your transparent address — like a bank account number you can share with others.

# Address Types

Prefix	Type	Privacy
`R...`	Transparent	Visible on the blockchain (like Bitcoin)
`zs...`	Shielded (Sapling)	Encrypted — amounts and memo hidden
`i...`	VerusID	Human-readable identity address

For now, a transparent R address is all you need to get started. See Privacy & Shielded Transactions to learn about shielded addresses.

# Getting Your First VRSC

You can obtain VRSC by:

Receiving from someone — Share your R... address
Mining — See How to Mine VRSC
Staking — See How to Stake VRSC
Exchanges — Purchase on supported exchanges (see verus.io)
Community — The Verus Discord community sometimes runs giveaways

# Checking Your Balance

# Simple Balance

./verus getbalance

Returns your total confirmed transparent balance.

# Detailed Balance

./verus z_gettotalbalance

Shows transparent, shielded (private), and total balances:

{
  "transparent": "100.00000000",
  "private": "50.00000000",
  "total": "150.00000000"
}

# List Transactions

./verus listtransactions

Shows your recent transaction history with amounts, confirmations, and addresses.

# Backing Up Your Wallet

Your wallet file contains your private keys. If you lose it, you lose your funds. Back it up!

# Wallet File Location

Linux: ~/.komodo/VRSC/wallet.dat
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Komodo/VRSC/wallet.dat
Windows: %AppData%\Komodo\VRSC\wallet.dat

# How to Back Up

Stop the daemon for a clean backup:
```
./verus stop
```
Copy wallet.dat to a safe location (USB drive, encrypted cloud storage, etc.):
```
cp ~/.komodo/VRSC/wallet.dat ~/verus-wallet-backup.dat
```
Restart the daemon:
```
./verusd -fastload
```

# Backup Best Practices

✅ Back up after creating new addresses
✅ Store copies in multiple physical locations
✅ Use encrypted storage
❌ Don't email wallet files
❌ Don't store backups on public cloud without encryption

# Export Private Keys (Alternative)

You can also export individual private keys:

# For a transparent address
./verus dumpprivkey "RYourAddressHere"

# For a shielded address
./verus z_exportkey "zsYourAddressHere"

🔒 Private keys = full control of funds. Anyone with your private key can spend your coins. Store them as securely as your wallet file.

# Encrypting Your Wallet

Add password protection to your wallet:

./verus encryptwallet "your-strong-passphrase"

After encryption:

The daemon will shut down — restart it
You must unlock the wallet to send funds: ./verus walletpassphrase "passphrase" timeout_seconds
Staking while encrypted requires: ./verus walletpassphrase "passphrase" 99999999 true

# Understanding Transparent vs Shielded

Feature	Transparent (`R...`)	Shielded (`zs...`)
Balances	Visible on-chain	Hidden
Amounts	Visible	Hidden
Sender/Receiver	Visible	Hidden
Use case	General transactions	Privacy-sensitive transactions
Speed	Instant	Slightly slower

Most users start with transparent addresses. When you need privacy, you can move funds to a shielded address. See Send a Private Transaction for a step-by-step guide.

# Next Steps

Key Concepts — Understand the full Verus ecosystem
Send a Private Transaction — Use shielded addresses
Register a VerusID — Get a human-readable identity
Command Reference: Wallet — All wallet-related commands