go-ethereum/cmd/ethkey

ethkey

ethkey is a simple command-line tool for working with Ethereum keyfiles.

Usage

ethkey generate

Generate a new keyfile. If you want to use an existing private key to use in the keyfile, it can be specified by setting --privatekey with the location of the file containing the private key.

ethkey inspect <keyfile>

Print various information about the keyfile. Private key information can be printed by using the --private flag; make sure to use this feature with great caution!

ethkey signmessage <keyfile> <message/file>

Sign the message with a keyfile. It is possible to refer to a file containing the message. To sign a message contained in a file, use the --msgfile flag.

ethkey verifymessage <address> <signature> <message/file>

Verify the signature of the message. It is possible to refer to a file containing the message. To sign a message contained in a file, use the --msgfile flag.

ethkey changepassphrase <keyfile>

Change the passphrase of a keyfile. use the --newpasswordfile to point to the new password file.

Passphrases

For every command that uses a keyfile, you will be prompted to provide the passphrase for decrypting the keyfile. To avoid this message, it is possible to pass the passphrase by using the --passwordfile flag pointing to a file that contains the passphrase.

JSON

In case you need to output the result in a JSON format, you shall by using the --json flag.