#Accounts & Wallets

#The Account vs. Wallet Distinction

When working with the Wallet API, it is important to understand the difference between an account and a wallet, as they are separate concepts that serve different roles.

• An account is the authentication identity. When a user registers and logs in, a session token (or cookie) is issued that is tied to the account. This token proves who you are.
• A wallet is the operational container — it holds the user's keys, DIDs, and credentials. Every action such as receiving credentials, presenting credentials, or managing keys is scoped to a specific wallet, not just an account.

When a new account is registered, the Wallet API automatically provisions a default wallet for it, including a key and DID (configurable via the registration defaults). The API is designed to support multiple wallets per account, so each wallet has its own unique ID.

Because a session token identifies your account, but all wallet operations require a wallet ID, you need to retrieve the wallet ID before you can perform any wallet operations such as receiving or presenting credentials.

#Retrieve Wallet ID

curl -X 'GET' \
  'http://0.0.0.0:7001/wallet-api/wallet/accounts/wallets' \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'authorization: Bearer {token}'

{
  "account": "108753e3-5ab4-4096-8699-ad0653c79a09",
  "wallets": [
    {
      "id": "4d7ef7c6-a76b-409b-b042-68d15a484082",
      "name": "Wallet of Test",
      "createdOn": "2025-04-16T09:19:11.585Z",
      "addedOn": "2025-04-16T09:19:11.597Z",
      "permission": "ADMINISTRATE"
    }
  ]
}