keythereum-node

Keythereum-node is a Node.js library to generate, import and export Ethereum keys.

It is 8 times faster than the JavaScript-only keythereum, but it does not run inside a browser, only in Node.js.

This provides a simple way to use the same account inside web apps and in web wallets, for example, for off-chain encryption or for manipulation of stored key files (e.g. changing the password).

Keythereum-node uses the same key derivation functions (PBKDF2-SHA256 or scrypt), symmetric ciphers (AES-128-CTR or AES-128-CBC), and message authentication codes as geth. You can export your generated key to file, copy it to your data directory's keystore, and immediately start using it in your local Ethereum client.

Parity keyfiles are partially supported -- the recover API supports Parity keyfile objects, but reading and writing of Parity keyfiles isn't supported.

Installation

npm install --save keythereum-node

Usage

To use keythereum in Node.js, just require it:

const keythereum = require("keythereum-node");

Key import

Importing a key from geth's keystore can only be done on Node. The JSON file is parsed into an object with the same structure as keyObject above.

// Specify a data directory (optional; defaults to ~/.ethereum)
var datadir = "/home/jack/.ethereum-test";

// Using a Promise
keythereum.importFromFile(address, datadir)
.then(keyObject => {
  // do stuff
})

// Or with a callback
keythereum.importFromFile(address, datadir, function (err, keyObject) {
  // do stuff
});

This has been tested with version 3 and version 1, but not version 2, keys. (Please send me a version 2 keystore file if you have one, so I can test it!)

To recover the plaintext private key from the key object, use keythereum.recover. The private key is returned as a Buffer.

// Using a Promise
keythereum.recover(password, keyObject)
.then(privateKey => {
  // privateKey:
  <Buffer ...>
})

// Or with a callback
keythereum.recover(password, keyObject, function (privateKey) {
  // do stuff
});

Key export

You will need to specify a password and (optionally) a key derivation function. If unspecified, PBKDF2-SHA256 will be used to derive the AES secret key.

var password = "wheethereum";
var kdf = "pbkdf2"; // or "scrypt" to use the scrypt kdf

The dump function is used to export key info to keystore "secret-storage" format. If a callback function is supplied as the sixth parameter to dump, it will run asynchronously:

// Note: if options is unspecified, the values in keythereum.constants are used.
var options = {
  kdf: "pbkdf2",
  cipher: "aes-128-ctr",
  kdfparams: {
    c: 262144,
    dklen: 32,
    prf: "hmac-sha256"
  }
};

// Using a Promise
keythereum.dump(password, dk.privateKey, dk.salt, dk.iv, options)
.then(keyObject => {
  // keyObject:
  {
    address: "008aeeda4d805471df9b2a5b0f38a0c3bcba786b",
    Crypto: {
      cipher: "aes-128-ctr",
      ciphertext: "5318b4d5bcd28de64ee5559e671353e16f075ecae9f99c7a79a38af5f869aa46",
      cipherparams: {
        iv: "6087dab2f9fdbbfaddc31a909735c1e6"
      },
      mac: "517ead924a9d0dc3124507e3393d175ce3ff7c1e96529c6c555ce9e51205e9b2",
      kdf: "pbkdf2",
      kdfparams: {
        c: 262144,
        dklen: 32,
        prf: "hmac-sha256",
        salt: "ae3cd4e7013836a3df6bd7241b12db061dbe2c6785853cce422d148a624ce0bd"
      }
    },
    id: "e13b209c-3b2f-4327-bab0-3bef2e51630d",
    version: 3
  }
} )

// Or with a callback
keythereum.dump(password, dk.privateKey, dk.salt, dk.iv, options, function (err, keyObject) {
  // do stuff!
});

dump creates an object and not a JSON string. In Node, the exportToFile method provides an easy way to export this formatted key object to file. It creates a JSON file in the keystore sub-directory, and uses geth's current file-naming convention (ISO timestamp concatenated with the key's derived Ethereum address).

keythereum.exportToFile(keyObject);

Key creation

Generate a new random private key (256 bit), as well as the salt (256 bit) used by the key derivation function, and the initialization vector (128 bit) used to AES-128-CTR encrypt the key. create is asynchronous if it is passed a callback function, and synchronous otherwise.

// optional private key and initialization vector sizes in bytes
// (if params is not passed to create, keythereum.constants is used by default)
var params = { keyBytes: 32, ivBytes: 16 };

// Using a Promise
keythereum.create(params).then(dk => {
  // dk:
  {
      privateKey: <Buffer ...>,
      iv: <Buffer ...>,
      salt: <Buffer ...>
  }
})

// Or with a callback
keythereum.create(params, function (err, dk) {
    // do stuff!
});

Tests

Unit tests are in the test directory, and can be run with mocha:

npm test