Anatomy of Signum Accounts

Signum is an account-oriented blockchain, in contrast to UTXO-based models like Bitcoin. This approach is often considered more intuitive, resembling traditional bank accounts. Unlike Ethereum, Signum accounts can be identified in three different ways: Public Key, Numeric ID, and Reed-Solomon Address.

The Public Key serves as the origin of the account and is generated through a specific key generation algorithm.

The Numeric ID and Reed-Solomon Address, both derived from the public key, are more commonly used for everyday account identification thanks to their enhanced readability.

Protect your account

To transfer funds between accounts, the Numeric ID or the Reed-Solomon Address is typically used. These forms offer a more compact "cryptographic namespace" than the full public key. However, to fully secure a Signum account, it is essential to register the public key on the blockchain. Without this, the account is vulnerable to certain types of attacks.

Usually, the public key becomes visible once the account owner has performed at least one outgoing transaction. However, sending a transaction requires the account to have a minimum balance. This is where the Activation Service comes into play: by using the recipient's public key, it allows for the public key to be registered on the blockchain, ensuring the account is fully protected.