global: date: '%Y/%m/%d' monero: Monero getting_started: Getting Started copyright: Copyright monero_project: The Monero Project sitename: getmonero.org, The Monero Project wiki: Moneropedia tags: Articles By Tag wikimeta: on Moneropedia, the open encyclopedia of Monero knowledge tagsmeta: All Monero blog articles that are tagged titlemeta: Monero, a digital currency that is secure, private, and untraceable terms: Terms privacy: Privacy untranslated: This page is not yet translated. If you would like to help translate it, please see the outdatedMax: This page is outdated. We do not recommend using it. Instead, please see the outdatedVersion: English version outdatedMin: This page has been updated since the translation. You can use this version, but it may be incomplete. upgrade: To continue using Monero, make sure your software is up-to-date with the November 30th network upgrade. moreinfo: More info lang_tag: "@lang_tag_en" titles: index: Home whatismonero: What is Monero (XMR)? using: Using Monero accepting: Accepting Monero contributing: Improving Monero mining: Mining Monero faq: FAQ downloads: Downloads allposts: All Blog Posts team: Monero Team hangouts: Hangouts events: Events sponsorships: Sponsorships merchants: Merchants & Services about: About Monero roadmap: Roadmap researchlab: Monero Research Lab moneropedia: Moneropedia userguides: User Guides developerguides: Developer Guides technicalspecs: Technical Specs themoneroproject: The Monero Project presskit: Press Kit legal: Legal blogbytag: Blog library: Library index: page_title: "Monero - secure, private, untraceable" home: heading2: A Reasonably Private Digital Currency monero_is_cash: Monero is cash for a connected world. It’s fast, private, and secure. With Monero, you are your own bank. You can spend safely, knowing that others cannot see your balances or track your activity. get_started: Get Started why_monero_is_different: Why Monero is different monero_is_secure: Monero is secure monero_is_secure_para: Monero is a decentralized cryptocurrency, meaning it is secure digital cash operated by a network of users. Transactions are confirmed by distributed consensus and then immutably recorded on the blockchain. Third-parties do not need to be trusted to keep your Monero safe. monero_is_private: Monero is private monero_is_private_para: Monero uses ring signatures, ring confidential transactions, and stealth addresses to obfuscate the origins, amounts, and destinations of all transactions. Monero provides all the benefits of a decentralized cryptocurrency, without any of the typical privacy concessions. monero_is_untraceable: Monero is untraceable monero_is_untraceable_para: Sending and receiving addresses as well as transacted amounts are obfuscated by default. Transactions on the Monero blockchain cannot be linked to a particular user or real-world identity. monero_is_fungible: Monero is fungible monero_is_fungible_para1: Monero is monero_is_fungible_para2: fungible monero_is_fungible_para3: because it is private by default. Units of Monero cannot be blacklisted by vendors or exchanges due to their association in previous transactions. downloads: Downloads downloads_windows: Monero for Windows downloads_mac: Monero for Mac downloads_linux: Monero for Linux downloads_blockchain: Latest Blockchain different_system: Need it for a different operating system? view_all_downloads: View all available downloads here. latest_news: Latest News more_news: More news moneropedia: Moneropedia moneropedia_para: Would you like to look up the meanings of the terms and concepts used in Monero? Here you will find an alphabetical guide to terms and their meanings from both the Monero and Kovri projects. moneropedia_button: Read Moneropedia user_guides: User Guides user_guides_para: Step-by-step guides to all things Monero are separated by category and cover everything from creating a wallet to supporting the network, and even how to edit this website. user_guides_button: Read user guides faq: FAQ faq_para: We've heard a lot of questions over the years and have compiled, for your convenience, a thorough and varied FAQ. Don't worry, if your questions are not on here, you can always ask the community. faq_button: Read answers hangouts: intro: The Monero community is diverse and varied. We come from all over, but we definitely have some places we like to hang out together. You'll find most of them below. Join us! resources: Workgroup Resources resources_para: In an effort to support organic workgroups, Monero has several resources that the community can use to meet and plan projects. Mattermost even has relays into the most popular Monero-related IRC channels. irc: IRC Channels irc_para: The Monero community utilizes a lot of IRC channels that each serve different purposes. Some to work, and some just to hang out. You'll find the more popular ones below. mailing_list: Mailing List mailing_list1: Do you want to receive important announcements directly on your email address? join our mailing lists! subscribe: Subscribe irc_channels: - channel: monero description: This channel is used to discuss all things Monero related. - channel: monero-community description: This channel is for the Monero community to congretate and discuss ideas. - channel: monero-dev description: The many contributors and developers come here to discuss dev-y things. - channel: monero-markets description: We use this channel to talk about the price of Monero and other coins. - channel: monero-offtopic description: Chatting with other Monero users about things not related to Monero. - channel: monero-otc description: Over the counter Monero. Come here to purchase XMR from your fellow Moneron. - channel: monero-pools description: This is the place for mining questions and discussion. - channel: monero-research-lab description: Research into financial privacy with cryptocurrency. - channel: monero-translations description: Localizing Monero into other languages. - channel: monero-hardware description: Building hardware wallets to keep your Monero safe. - channel: monero-site description: Where the development of this website is coordinated - channel: kovri description: This channel is used to discuss all things Kovri related. - channel: kovri-dev description: The many contributors and developers come here to discuss Kovri dev-y things. merchants: intro1: Merchants of all kinds have come to value the financial privacy that Monero brings. Below is a list of the merchants that we know of that currently accept Monero for their goods and services. If a company no longer accepts Monero or you would like your business to be listed, please intro2: open a GitLab issue and let us know intro3: (select the "Merchant" template and fill up all sections). disclaimer: | "Please note: these links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement by the Monero community of any products, services or opinions of the corporations or organizations or individuals listed. The Monero community bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of these external sites. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content. As always, caveat emptor ('buyer beware'); you are responsible for doing your own research. Always use judgement when making online purchases." sponsorships: intro: The following businesses have supported the Monero Project in its goal to bring financial privacy to the world. We couldn't be more grateful for their contributions. If you would like to sponsor the Monero Project and be listed on this page, please send an email to dev@getmonero.org. team: core: Core developers: Developers developers_para1: The Monero Project has had well over 500 contributors over the life of the project. For a complete list, please see the developers_para2: OpenHub contributors page. developers_para3: Below you'll find some individuals that have gone above and beyond for Monero. community: Community mrl: Research Lab thanks: Special Thanks downloads: intro: On this page you can find and download the latest version available of the Monero software, as well as hardware, light and mobile wallets. choose: Choose your download gui: GUI Wallet cli: CLI Wallet blockchain: Import Blockchain blockchain1: If you'd prefer to use a raw blockchain instead of syncing from scratch, you can use the most current bootstrap. It is typically much faster to sync from scratch, however, and it also takes a lot less RAM. blockchain2: If you wish to proceed anyway, take a look at the user guide blockchain3: Importing the Monero blockchain blockchain4: for step-by-step instructions for Windows. blockchainbutton: Download Blockchain mobilelight: Mobile & Light Wallets hardware: Hardware Wallets gui_intro: The GUI wallet provides a nice user interface, adaptable to all kinds of users, but it is especially recommended for less technical people who want to quickly send and receive XMR. simplemode: Simple mode simplemode1: Created for less technical users who only want to use Monero in the easiest and quickest way possible. Open the wallet, automatically connect to a remote node, send/receive XMR, done! advancedmode: Advanced mode advancedmode1: With all the advanced features you could need. Ideal for seasoned Monero users who prefer to have full control of their wallet and node merchantpage: Merchant page merchantpage1: Receive XMR for your business, easily hwcompatible: Compatible with hardware wallets hwcompatible1: such Trezor and Ledger fiatconv: in-app fiat conversion fiatconv1: No longer a need to check the value of your XMR online pruning: Blockchain pruning pruning1: Not enough disk space? Just use pruning to download only 1/3 of the blockchain langs: "30+ languages available" cli_intro: The CLI wallet gives you the total control over your Monero node and funds. Highly customizable and includes various analysis tools, as well as an HTTP RPC and 0MQ interface. currentversion: Current Version sourcecode: Source Code showissues: Show known issues for this release noissues: This release has no known major issues yesissues: > This release has the following known issues:
- Initial sync of the blockchain very slow. Will be fixed with a point release helpsupport: Help and Support helpsupport1: "A guide with an explanation of every section of the wallet is available:" helpsupport2: "See latest release" gui_helpsupport: "If you are experiencing issues or you need more info, feel free to reach out to the community. You can find the GUI team at #monero-gui, or else check out the Hangouts page for a more complete list of contacts and chatrooms" cli_helpsupport: "If you are experiencing issues or you need more info, feel free to reach out to the community. You can find the CLI team at #monero or #monero-dev, or else check out the Hangouts page for a more complete list of contacts and chatrooms" localremote: Local or remote node localremote1: Use your own copy of the blockchain or a publicly available one transacttor: Transactions over Tor/I2P transacttor1: For an additional layer of privacy bootstrapnode: Bootstrap node bootstrapnode1: Use a remote node while downloading the blockchain locally, this will allow you to use Monero immediately and switch to your local node once it's completely synced rpc: RPC Wallet and Daemon rpc1: included in the archive payforrpc: Pay-for-RPC payforrpc1: A new feature that allows node operators to get rewarded when their node is used verify: Verify verify1: You are strongly advised to verify the hashes of the archive you downloaded. This will confirm that the files you downloaded perfectly match the files uploaded by the Monero development workgroup. Please don't underestimate this step, a corrupted archive could result in lost funds. verify2: Always verify your downloads! showhash: Show hashes to verify your download showhash1: These SHA256 hashes are listed for convenience, but a GPG-signed list of the hashes is at showhash2: and should be treated as canonical, with the signature checked against the appropriate GPG key showhash3: in the source code showhash4: "Two guides are available to guide you through the verification process:" hardware1: The Monero community has funded a hardware2: Dedicated Hardware Wallet (Kastelo) hardware3: which is now in progress. Moreover, since CLI 0.12.1 and GUI 0.12.3 Ledger has hardware4: integrated Monero into their hardware wallets. hardware5: Trezor model T supports Monero since version 0.14.1. mobilelight1: The following are mobile or light wallets that are deemed safe by respected members of the community. If there is a wallet that is not on here, you can request the community check it out. Go to our mobilelight2: Hangouts mobilelight3: page to see where we are. installer: Installer monero-project: kovri: The Kovri project uses end-to-end encryption so that neither the sender nor receiver of a Monero transaction need to reveal their IP address to the other side or to third-party observers (the blockchain). This is done using the same technology that powers the dark net, i2p (Invisible Internet Protocol). The project is currently in heavy, active development and is not yet integrated with Monero. kovri_button: Visit Kovri Website openalias: The OpenAlias project simplifies cryptocurrency payments by providing FQDNs (Fully Qualified Domain Names, i.e. example.openalias.org) for Monero wallet addresses in a way that ensures everyone's privacy is secure. The project is well underway and has already been implemented in many Monero wallets. openalias_button: Visit OpenAlias Website press-kit: intro1: Here you'll find the Monero symbol and logo below. You can choose any size that you want, or download the .ai file to mess with the logo yourself. intro2: Note that the white background options have a white background under the Monero symbol ONLY, not as a background to the whole image. intro3: Lastly, you can download everything on this page in one zip file by clicking intro4: here. noback: No background whiteback: White background symbol: Monero Symbol logo: Monero Logo small: Small medium: Medium large: Large symbol_file: Symbol .ai file logo_file: Logo .ai file documents: - category: Press Documentation publications: - name: "Quick-Facts Sheet" url_file: "http://www.monerooutreach.org/pubs/2018/QuickFacts/QuickFacts.pdf" abstract: > A quick and easy to read document to know everything about Monero: history, key differentiating factors, technical fundamentals, and features in development.
See Monero Outreach website for more information. marketing: - category: Marketing Material publications: - name: "The 'Don't buy Monero' sticker" url_file: "https://github.com/monero-ecosystem/dont-buy-monero-sticker" abstract: > Spread Monero everywhere with the help of this sticker. Available in multiple languages and formats (vectors included). - name: Guerrilla Toolkit url_file: "https://www.monerooutreach.org/guerrilla-toolkit.php" abstract: > A document created by the Monero Outreach workgroup containing materials and tips for an effective guerrilla marketing campaign. accepting: title_gui: Instructions for the GUI gui1: "Accepting a payment with the GUI is very easy. Doesn't matter if you are a merchant or an user, you will have two pages available: Receive and Merchants." gui2: The receive page (shown below) is explained in every detail guilinkguide: in the guide of the GUI. guiinstructions: > To receive XMR you only need to provide the payer with an @address where they can send funds to. Most of the time it's easier to just share a QR code and let the payer scan it, instead of copy-pasting the alphanumeric string. With the GUI every generated address come with its QR code. Make the person scan the QR code with the Monero @wallet on their phone and receive your XMR in minutes. Remember you can generate as many addresses (subaddresses) as you want. This is useful if you want to keep funds separated for any reason. guimerchant: Merchants will probably find more convenient to use the 'Merchant' page (screenshot below), which is explained in detail in the 'Merchant view' section of guilinkguide1: the guide linked above guimerchant1: > This is a POS-like page that merchant can easily use to set the amount of XMR to receive. If the 'Sale tracker' option is enabled, you will see the payments while they arrive in real time in your wallet, along with the number of confirmations. guisteps: "These two pages give everybody the possibility to easily receive XMR following these steps:" guiol: "Go to the 'Receive' page and create/select the address where you want to receive your coins." guiol1: Share the address composed by letters and numbers to the person you want to receive coins from. You probably prefer to use the more user friendly QR code. guiol2: "If you want to specify the amount to receive, got to the 'Merchant' page (after you selected in the 'Receive' page the @account that will be used to receive XMR)." guiol3: "Insert the amount to receive, then share with the payer the payment URL or the QR code. If you want to track the payment in real time, tick the 'enable sales tracker' option." guiol4: Wait until the payment is arrived and has enough confirmations (The more confirmations, the safer the transaction is. You need at least 10 confirmations before you can spend the funds.). cliinstructions: Instructions for the CLI clicreatewallet: > When you create your wallet for the first time, an @address will be automatically shown to you. That's your primary address. If you want, you can simply use that address to receive payments. You should be concerned about who knows about this address (since one address in different locations can be associated), but you do not need to worry about blockchain observers watching transactions to this address like with Bitcoin. A friend can send transactions to the same address without reduced privacy. cliaccounts: > You can have much more control if you want to. Monero gives the possibility to create multiple accounts, each containing multiple subaddresses, useful if you want to control multiple accounts. For example, you may want to have an @account for receiving donations and another one for your daily use. That will allow you to easily monitor incoming funds to your 'donations' account, without mixing it with your primary account. clicreateaccount: "To create an account, simply run this command:" clicreateaccount1: Now you have another account separated from your primary one. You can switch anytime between accounts. cliindex: > As you can see from the picture above, every account has an index number that you can use to switch from one account to the other using the command `account switch [index]`. For example, using the picture above as reference, if you would like to switch to the 'Donations' account to monitor it, you can do so by giving your CLI this command `account switch 1`. Now you are sitting on your 'Donations' account and you can start using it right away. cliindex1: > Every account can host a virtually infinite amount of subaddresses. These work exactly like a normal address and you can create as many as you want and use them to receive XMR to the account they are linked to. To create a new subaddress for an account, use the command: clinotes: > Note that the instructions below are just the minimal necessary to create and use accounts/subaddresses. The CLI offer more capillary ways to handle accounts and the wallet in general. Use the command 'help' to list all the available options. merchantstitle: Instructions for merchants merchantsreceive: If you are a business and you wish to programmatically receive @transactions or use advanced features like multisignature, it's suggested to consult the merchdevguides: developer guides merchantsreceive1: "If you need support, the community will always be happy to help. Come chat on #monero, the chatroom is on Freenode, but also relayed on MatterMost and Matrix." merchantsint: "If you prefer to not directly deal with the wallets, you can use a third party payment system. Members of the monero community has created a set of integrations for various platform and languages. You can find more info on" merchantsintlink: the GitHub organization merchantsthirdp: If you are looking for other third party integration system, there is a list of payment gateways on merchthirdlink: the merchant page merchantsthirdp1: Some of those offer nice features like the possibility to automatically convert part of your income in fiat money or to accept other cryptocurrencies along with Monero. contributing: intro: Monero is an open-source, community-driven project. Described below are several ways to support the project. network: Support the Network develop: Develop develop_para1: Monero is primarily written in C++. As it is a decentralized project, anyone is welcome to add or make changes to existing code. Pull requests are merged based on community consensus. See the develop_para2: repositories develop_para3: and outstanding develop_para4: issues. full-node: Run a Full Node full-node_para: Run monerod with port 18080 open. Running a full node ensures maximum privacy when transacting with Monero. It also improves distribution of the blockchain to new users. mine: Mine mine_para1: Mining ensures the Monero network remains decentralized and secure. In the Monero graphical user interface and command-line interface, background mining may be activated. Additional resources for mining may be viewed mine_para2: here. ffs: View the Community Crowdfunding System ffs_para1: Monero utilizes a ffs_para2: community crowdfunding system ffs_para3: whereby projects are proposed for development and community-funded. Funding is held in escrow and remunerated to developers once programming milestones are achieved. Anyone may generate new proposals or fund existing ones. donate: Donate donate_para1: Ongoing development is supported by donations and donate_para2: sponsorships. donate-xmr: Donating Monero donate-xmr_para: Donations may be sent to or: or donate-btc: Donating Bitcoin donate-btc_para: Donations may be sent to donate-other: Other donate-other_para1: E-mail donate-other_para2: for alternative means of donating or if you would like to become a sponsor for the Monero Project. faq: q1: How does Monero have value? a1: Monero has value because people are willing to buy it. If no one is willing to buy Monero, then it will not have any value. Monero’s price increases if demand exceeds supply, and it decreases if supply exceeds demand. q2: How can I get Monero? a2: You can buy Monero from an exchange or from an individual. Alternatively, you can try mining Monero to get coins from the block reward. q3: What is a mnemonic seed? a3: A mnemonic seed is a set of 25 words that can be used to restore your account anywhere. Keep these words safe and do not share them with someone else. You can use this seed to restore your account, even if your computer crashes. q4: How is Monero’s privacy different from other coins? a4: | Monero uses three different privacy technologies: ring signatures, ring confidential transactions (RingCT), and stealth addresses. These hide the sender, amount, and receiver in the transaction, respectively. All transactions on the network are private by mandate; there is no way to accidentally send a transparent transaction. This feature is exclusive to Monero. You do not need to trust anyone else with your privacy. q5: Why is my wallet taking so long to sync? a5: If you are running a full node locally, you need to copy the entire blockchain to your computer. This can take a long time, especially on an old hard drive or slow internet connection. If you are using a remote node, your computer still needs to request a copy of all the outputs, which can take several hours. Be patient, and if you would like to sacrifice some privacy for faster sync times, consider using a lightweight wallet instead. q6: What is the difference between a lightweight and a normal wallet? a6: For a lightweight wallet, you give your view key to a node, who scans the blockchain and looks for incoming transactions to your account on your behalf. This node will know when you receive money, but it will not know how much you receive, who you received it from, or who you are sending money to. Depending on your wallet software, you may be able to use a node you control to avoid privacy leaks. For more privacy, use a normal wallet, which can be used with your own node. q7: How is Monero different from Bitcoin? a7: Monero is not based on Bitcoin. It is based on the CryptoNote protocol. Bitcoin is a completely transparent system, where people can see exactly how much money is being sent from one user to another. Monero hides this information to protect user privacy in all transactions. It also has a dynamic block size and dynamic fees, an ASIC-resistant proof of work, and a tail coin emission, among several other changes. q8: Does Monero have a block size limit? a8: No, Monero does not have a hard block size limit. Instead, the block size can increase or decrease over time based on demand. It is capped at a certain growth rate to prevent outrageous growth. q9: What is a blockchain? a9: A blockchain is a system that stores a copy of all transaction history on the Monero network. Every two minutes, a new block with the latest transaction information is added to the blockchain. This chain allows the network to verify the amount of money accounts have and make it resilient to attacks and centralization attempts. q10: What is Kovri? a10: Kovri is an I2P router written in C++. I2P is a hidden network like Tor with several technical differences. Kovri is an independent project of Monero, but it will work with Monero and several other projects. Kovri hides the transaction broadcast, so other nodes do not know who created transactions. In adversarial conditions, Kovri can be used to hide all Monero traffic through I2P, which would prevent people from knowing Monero is being used. Kovri is currently in alpha, and it is not yet fully integrated in Monero. Learn more about Kovri at the project website. q11: What is fungibility, and why is it important? a11: Fungibility is a simple property of money such that there are no differences between two amounts of the same value. If two people exchanged a 10 and two 5’s, then no one would lose out. However, let’s suppose that everyone knows the 10 was previously used in a ransomware attack. Is the other person still going to make the trade? Probably not, even if the person with the 10 has no connection with the ransomware. This is a problem, since the receiver of money needs to constantly check the money they are receiving to not end up with tainted coins. Monero is fungible, which means people do not need to go through this effort. q12: If Monero is so private how do we know they're not being created out of thin air? a12-1: In Monero, every transaction output is uniquely associated with a key image that can only be generated by the holder of that output. Key images that are used more than once are rejected by the miners as double-spends and cannot be added to a valid block. When a new transaction is received, miners verify that the key image does not already exist for a previous transaction to ensure it's not a double-spend. a12-2: We can also know that transaction amounts are valid even though the value of the inputs that you are spending and the value of the outputs you are sending are encrypted (these are hidden to everyone except the recipient). Because the amounts are encrypted using Pedersen commitments what this means is that no observers can tell the amounts of the inputs and outputs, but they can do math on the Pedersen commitments to determine that no Monero was created out of thin air. a12-3: As long as the encrypted output amounts you create is equal to the sum of the inputs that are being spent (which include an output for the recipient and a change output back to yourself and the unencrypted transaction fee), then you have a legitimate transaction and know no Monero is being created out of thin air. Pedersen commitments mean that the sums can be verified as being equal, but the Monero value of each of the sums and the Monero value of the inputs and outputs individually are undeterminable. q13: Is Monero magic and protect my privacy no matter what I do ? a13: Monero is not magic. If you use Monero but give your name and address to another party, the other party will not magically forget your name and address. If you give out your secret keys, others will know what you've done. If you get compromised, others will be able to keylog you. If you use a weak password, others will be able to brute force your keys file. If you backup your seed in the cloud, you'll be poorer soon. q14: Is Monero 100% anonymous ? a14: There is no such thing as 100% anonymous. If nothing else, your anonymity set is the set of people using Monero. Some people don't use Monero. Monero may also have bugs. Even if not, ways may exist to infer some information through Monero's privacy layers, either now or later. Attacks only get better. If you wear a seatbelt, you can still die in a car crash. Use common sense, prudence and defense in depth. mining: intro1: Monero is a cryptocurrency that relies on proof-of-work mining to achieve distributed consensus. Below you'll find some information and resources on how to begin mining. intro2: The Monero Project does not endorse any particular pool, software, or hardware, and the content below is provided for informational purposes only. support: Support support_para1: See support_para2: Hangouts support_para4: and pools: Pools pools_para1: A listing of trusted Monero pools is found pools_para2: here. benchmarking: Hardware Benchmarking benchmarking_para1: See here benchmarking_para2: for a listing of GPUs/CPUs and their respective hashrates. software: Mining Software software_para: Note that some miners may have developer fees. using: intro: Transacting with Monero can be made easy. This page is designed to guide users in that process. learn: 1. Learn learn_para1: Monero is a secure, private, and untraceable cryptocurrency. The developers and community are committed to protecting these values. Learn more by reading the learn_para2: What is Monero learn_para3: page. The learn_para4: source code learn_para5: is also available for review and discussion. support: 2. Request Support support_para1: There is a large and supportive community that will assist if you experience any difficulty. See the support_para2: Hangouts support_para3: page for more information. generate: 3. Generate a Wallet generate_para1: A Monero wallet is required to secure your own funds. See the generate_para2: Downloads page generate_para3: for a listing of available wallets. generate_para4: The easiest way to run a Monero node, without affecting your home bandwidth, is to purchase a VPS (Virtual Private Server). We strongly recommend generate_para5: using the generate_para6: coupon code to get a discount over and above their already cheap $6/month VPS. Using this coupon code and/or generate_para7: our affiliate link generate_para8: will also assist in the ongoing funding of Monero development. acquire: 4. Acquire Monero acquire_para1: Monero may be purchased on an acquire_para2: exchange acquire_para3: with fiat or other cryptocurrencies. An alternate way of acquiring Monero is via acquire_para4: mining, acquire_para5: the computationally-complex process whereby transactions are immutably recorded on the blockchain. send-receive: 5. Send and Receive Monero send-receive_para1: Learn how to send and receive Monero by viewing the send-receive_para2: guide. transact: 6. Transact with Monero transact_para1: Monero may be used to purchase many goods and services. For a listing, see the transact_para2: Merchants page. what-is-monero: need-to-know: What you need to know leading: Monero is the leading cryptocurrency with a focus on private and censorship-resistant transactions. leading_para1: Most existing cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, have transparent blockchains, meaning that transactions are openly verifiable and traceable by anyone in the world. Furthermore, sending and receiving addresses for these transactions may potentially be linkable to a person's real-world identity. leading_para2: Monero uses cryptography to shield sending and receiving addresses, as well as transacted amounts. confidential: Monero transactions are confidential and untraceable. confidential_para1: Every Monero transaction, by default, obfuscates sending and receiving addresses as well as transacted amounts. This always-on privacy means that every Monero user's activity enhances the privacy of all other users, unlike selectively transparent cryptocurrencies (e.g. Zcash). confidential_para2: Monero is fungible. By virtue of obfuscation, Monero cannot become tainted through participation in previous transactions. This means Monero will always be accepted without the risk of censorship. confidential_para3: The Kovri Project, confidential_para4: currently in development confidential_para5: ", will route and encrypt transactions via I2P Invisible Internet Project nodes. This will obfuscate a transactor's IP address and provide further protection against network monitoring." grassroots: Monero is a grassroots community attracting the world's best cryptocurrency researchers and engineering talent. grassroots_para1: Over grassroots_para2: 500 developers grassroots_para3: have contributed to the Monero project, including 30 core developers. Forums and chat channels are welcoming and active. grassroots_para4: Monero's Research Lab, Core Development Team and Community Developers are constantly pushing the frontier of what is possible with cryptocurrency privacy and security. grassroots_para5: Monero is not a corporation. It is developed by cryptography and distributed systems experts from all over the world that donate their time or are funded by community donations. This means that Monero can't be shut down by any one country and is not constrained by any particular legal jurisdiction. electronic: Monero is electronic cash that allows fast, inexpensive payments to and from anywhere in the world. electronic_para1: There are no multi-day holding periods and no risk of fraudulent chargebacks. It is safe from ‘capital controls’ - these are measures that restrict the flow of traditional currencies, sometimes to an extreme degree, in countries experiencing economic instability. videos: Monero Videos (English) about: history: A Brief History history_para1: Monero was launched in April 2014. It was a fair, pre-announced launch of the CryptoNote reference code. There was no premine or instamine, and no portion of the block reward goes to development. See the original Bitcointalk thread history_para2: here. history_para3: The founder, thankful_for_today, proposed some controversial changes that the community disagreed with. A fallout ensued, and the Monero Core Team forked the project with the community following this new Core Team. This Core Team has provided oversight since. history_para4: Monero has made several large improvements since launch. The blockchain was migrated to a different database structure to provide greater efficiency and flexibility, minimum ring signature sizes were set so that all transactions were private by mandate, and RingCT was implemented to hide the transaction amounts. Nearly all improvements have provided improvements to security or privacy, or they have facilitated use. Monero continues to develop with goals of privacy and security first, ease of use and efficiency second. values: Our Values values_para: Monero is more than just a technology. It’s also what the technology stands for. Some of the important guiding philosophies are listed below. security: Security security_para: Users must be able to trust Monero with their transactions, without risk of error or attack. Monero gives the full block reward to the miners, who are the most critical members of the network who provide this security. Transactions are cryptographically secure using the latest and most resilient encryption tools available. privacy: Privacy privacy_para: Monero takes privacy seriously. Monero needs to be able to protect users in a court of law and, in extreme cases, from the death penalty. This level of privacy must be completely accessible to all users, whether they are technologically competent or have no idea how Monero works. A user needs to confidently trust Monero in a way that this person does not feel pressured into changing their spending habits for risk of others finding out. decentralization: Decentralization decentralization_para: Monero is committed to providing the maximum amount of decentralization. With Monero, you do not have to trust anyone else on the network, and it is not run by any large group. An accessible “Proof of Work” algorithm makes it easy to mine Monero on normal computers, which makes it more difficult for someone to purchase a large amount of mining power. Nodes connect to each other with I2P to lower the risks of revealing sensitive transaction information and censorship (tba). Development decisions are extremely clear and open to public discussion. Developer meeting logs are published online in their entirety and visible by all. developer-guides: outdated: "Please note: the guides below have been recently refreshed and are maintained almost up-to-date by the community. However, methods are often added / removed / updated and may not be accurately described here." rpc: RPC Documentation daemonrpc: Daemon RPC Documentation walletrpc: Wallet RPC Documentation user-guides: general: General mining: Mining recovery: Recovery wallets: Wallets offline-backup: How to make an offline backup vps-node: How to run a node on VPS import-blockchain: Importing the Monero blockchain monero-tools: Monero Tools purchasing-storing: Securely purchasing and storing Monero verify-allos: Verify binaries on Linux, Mac, or Windows command line (advanced) verify-windows: Verify binaries on Windows (beginner) mine-on-pool: How to mine on a pool with xmr-stak-cpu solo-mine: How to solo mine with the GUI mine-docker: Mining with Docker and XMRig locked-funds: How to fix locked up funds restore-account: How to restore your account qubes: CLI wallet/daemon isolation with Qubes + Whonix cli-wallet: Getting started with the CLI wallet remote-node-gui: How to connect to a remote node within GUI wallet view-only: How to make a view-only wallet prove-payment: How to prove payment restore-from-keys: Restoring wallet from keys nicehash: How to mine Monero XMR without a mining equipment ledger-wallet-cli: How to generate a Ledger Monero wallet with the CLI (monero-wallet-cli) multisig-messaging-system: Multisig transactions with MMS and CLI wallet tor_wallet: Connecting your local wallet to your own daemon over Tor roadmap: completed: Completed task ongoing: Ongoing task upcoming: Upcoming task future: Future research-lab: intro: Monero is not only committed to making a fungible currency, but also to continued research into the realm of financial privacy as it involves cryptocurrencies. Below you'll find the work of our very own Monero Research Lab, with more papers to come. mrl_papers: Monero Research Lab Papers (English) abstract: Abstract introduction: Introduction read-paper: Read Paper summary: Summary mrlhtp: Understanding ge_fromfe_frombytes_vartime mrlhtp_summary: Monero uses a unique hash function that transforms scalars into elliptic curve points. It is useful for creating key images, in particular. This document, authored by Shen Noether, translates its code implementation (the ge_fromfe_frombytes_vartime() function) into mathematical expressions. mrl1: A Note on Chain Reactions in Traceability in CryptoNote 2.0 mrl1_abstract: This research bulletin describes a plausible attack on a ring-signature based anonymity system. We use as motivation the cryptocurrency protocol CryptoNote 2.0 ostensibly published by Nicolas van Saberhagen in 2012. It has been previously demonstrated that the untraceability obscuring a one-time key pair can be dependent upon the untraceability of all of the keys used in composing that ring signature. This allows for the possibility of chain reactions in traceability between ring signatures, causing a critical loss in untraceability across the whole network if parameters are poorly chosen and if an attacker owns a sufficient percentage of the network. The signatures are still one-time, however, and any such attack will still not necessarily violate the anonymity of users. However, such an attack could plausibly weaken the resistance CryptoNote demonstrates against blockchain analysis. This research bulletin has not undergone peer review, and reflects only the results of internal investigation. mrl2: Counterfeiting via Merkle Tree Exploits within Virtual Currencies Employing the CryptoNote Protocol mrl2_abstract: On 4 September 2014, an unusual and novel attack was executed against the Monero cryptocurrency network. This attack partitioned the network into two distinct subsets which refused to accept the legitimacy of the other subset. This had myriad effects, not all of which are yet known. The attacker had a short window of time during which a sort of counterfeiting could occur, for example. This research bulletin describes deficiencies in the CryptoNote reference code allowing for this attack, describes the solution initially put forth by Rafal Freeman from Tigusoft.pl and subsequently by the CryptoNote team, describes the current fix in the Monero code base, and elaborates upon exactly what the offending block did to the network. This research bulletin has not undergone peer review, and reflects only the results of internal investigation. mrl3: Monero is Not That Mysterious mrl3_abstract: Recently, there have been some vague fears about the CryptoNote source code and protocol floating around the internet based on the fact that it is a more complicated protocol than, for instance, Bitcoin. The purpose of this note is to try and clear up some misconceptions, and hopefully remove some of the mystery surrounding Monero Ring Signatures. I will start by comparing the mathematics involved in CryptoNote ring signatures (as described in [CN]) to the mathematics in [FS], on which CryptoNote is based. After this, I will compare the mathematics of the ring signature to what is actually in the CryptoNote codebase. mrl4: Improving Obfuscation in the CryptoNote Protocol mrl4_abstract: We identify several blockchain analysis attacks available to degrade the untraceability of the CryptoNote 2.0 protocol. We analyze possible solutions, discuss the relative merits and drawbacks to those solutions, and recommend improvements to the Monero protocol that will hopefully provide long-term resistance of the cryptocurrency against blockchain analysis. Our recommended improvements to Monero include a protocol-level network-wide minimum mix-in policy of n = 2 foreign outputs per ring signature, a protocol-level increase of this value to n = 4 after two years, and a wallet-level default value of n = 4 in the interim. We also recommend a torrent-style method of sending Monero output. We also discuss a non-uniform, age-dependent mix-in selection method to mitigate the other forms of blockchain analysis identified herein, but we make no formal recommendations on implementation for a variety of reasons. The ramifications following these improvements are also discussed in some detail. This research bulletin has not undergone peer review, and reflects only the results of internal investigation. mrl5: Ring Signature Confidential Transactions mrl5_abstract: This article introduces a method of hiding transaction amounts in the strongly decentralized anonymous cryptocurrency Monero. Similar to Bitcoin, Monero is a cryptocurrency which is distributed through a proof of work “mining” process. The original Monero protocol was based on CryptoNote, which uses ring signatures and one-time keys to hide the destination and origin of transactions. Recently the technique of using a commitment scheme to hide the amount of a transaction has been discussed and implemented by Bitcoin Core Developer Gregory Maxwell. In this article, a new type of ring signature, A Multi-layered Linkable Spontaneous Anonymous Group signature is described which allows for hidden amounts, origins and destinations of transactions with reasonable efficiency and verifiable, trustless coin generation. Some extensions of the protocol are provided, such as Aggregate Schnorr Range Proofs, and Ring Multisignature. The author would like to note that early drafts of this were publicized in the Monero Community and on the bitcoin research irc channel. Blockchain hashed drafts are available in [14] showing that this work was started in Summer 2015, and completed in early October 2015. An eprint is also available at http://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1098. mrl6: An Efficient Implementation of Monero Subaddresses mrl6_abstract: Users of the Monero cryptocurrency who wish to reuse wallet addresses in an unlinkable way must maintain separate wallets, which necessitates scanning incoming transactions for each one. We document a new address scheme that allows a user to maintain a single master wallet address and generate an arbitary number of unlinkable subaddresses. Each transaction needs to be scanned only once to determine if it is destinated for any of the user’s subaddresses. The scheme additionally supports multiple outputs to other subaddresses, and is as efficient as traditional wallet transactions. mrl7: Sets of Spent Outputs mrl7_abstract: This technical note generalizes the concept of spend outputs using basic set theory. The definition captures a variety of earlier work on identifying such outputs. We quantify the effects of this analysis on the Monero blockchain and give a brief overview of mitigations. mrl8: Dual Linkable Ring Signatures mrl8_abstract: This bulletin describes a modification to Monero's linkable ring signature scheme that permits dual-key outputs as ring members. Key images are tied to both output one-time public keys in a dual, preventing both keys in that transaction from being spent separately. This method has applications to non-interactive refund transactions. We discuss the security implications of the scheme. mrl9: Thring Signatures and their Applications to Spender-Ambiguous Digital Currencies mrl9_abstract: We present threshold ring multi-signatures (thring signatures) for collaborative computation of ring signatures, present a game of existential forgery for thring signatures, and discuss uses of thring signatures in digital currencies that include spender-ambiguous cross-chain atomic swaps for confidential amounts without a trusted setup. We present an implementation of thring signatures that we call linkable spontaneous threshold anonymous group signatures, and prove the implementation existentially unforgeable. mrl10: Discrete Logarithm Equality Across Groups mrl10_abstract: This technical note describes an algorithm used to prove knowledge of the same discrete logarithm across different groups. The scheme expresses the common value as a scalar representation of bits, and uses a set of ring signatures to prove each bit is a valid value that is the same (up to an equivalence) across both scalar groups. mrl11: Compact linkable ring signatures and applications mrl11_abstract: We describe an efficient linkable ring signature scheme, compact linkable spontaneous anonymous group (CLSAG) signatures, for use in confidential transactions. Compared to the existing signature scheme used in Monero, CLSAG signatures are both smaller and more efficient to generate and verify for ring sizes of interest. We generalize the construction and show how it can be used to produce signatures with coins of different type in the same transaction. iacr2020018: "Triptych: logarithmic-sized linkable ring signatures with applications" iacr2020018_abstract: Ring signatures are a common construction used to provide signer ambiguity among a non-interactive set of public keys specified at the time of signing. Unlike early approaches where signature size is linear in the size of the signer anonymity set, current optimal solutions either require centralized trusted setups or produce signatures logarithmic in size. However, few also provide linkability, a property used to determine whether the signer of a message has signed any previous message, possibly with restrictions on the anonymity set choice. Here we introduce Triptych, a family of linkable ring signatures without trusted setup that is based on generalizations of zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge of commitment openings to zero. We demonstrate applications of Triptych in signer-ambiguous transaction protocols by extending the construction to openings of parallel commitments in independent anonymity sets. Signatures are logarithmic in the anonymity set size and, while verification complexity is linear, collections of proofs can be efficiently verified in batches. We show that for anonymity set sizes practical for use in distributed protocols, Triptych offers competitive performance with a straightforward construction. cryptonote: Cryptonote Whitepapers cryptonote-whitepaper: Cryptonote Whitepaper cryptonote-whitepaper_para: This is the original cryptonote paper written by the cryptonote team. Reading it will give an understanding about how the cryptonote algorithm works in general. annotated: Annotated Whitepaper annotated_para: The Monero Research Lab released an annotated version of the cryptonote whitepaper. This is sort of like an informal review of the claims that are made line-by-line of the whitepaper. It also explains some of the harder concepts in relatively easy to understand terms. brandon: Brandon Goodell's Whitepaper Review brandon_para: This paper is a formal review of the original cryptonote paper by MRL researcher Brandon Goodell. He takes an in-depth look at the claims and mathematics presented in the cryptonote paper. specs: fair_title: No premine, no instamine, no token fair_premine: Monero had no premine or instamine fair_token: Monero did not sell any token fair_presale: Monero had no presale of any kind pow_title: Proof of Work pow_name: CryptoNight pow_disclaimer: may change in the future diff_title: Difficulty retarget diff_freq: every block diff_base: based on the last 720 blocks, excluding 20% of the timestamp outliers block_time_title: Block time block_time_duration: 2 minutes block_time_disclaimer: may change in the future as long as emission curve is preserved block_reward_title: Block reward block_reward_amount: smoothly decreasing and subject to penalties for blocks greater than median size of the last 100 blocks (M100) block_reward_example1: see the block_reward_example_link: latest block block_reward_example2: coinbase transaction amount for current reward block_size_title: Block size block_size: dynamic, maximum of 2 * M100 block_emission_title: Emission curve block_emission_main: "first, main curve: ~18.132 million coins by the end of May 2022" block_emission_tail: "then, tail curve: 0.6 XMR per 2-minute block, kicks in once main emission is done, translates to <1% inflation decreasing over time" block_emission_disclaimer1: see block_emission_disclaimer_link: charts and details supply_title: Max supply supply_amount: infinite sender_privacy_title: Sender privacy sender_privacy_mode: Ring signatures recipient_privacy_title: Recipient privacy recipient_privacy_mode: Stealth addresses amount_hidden_title: Amount obfuscation amount_hidden_mode: Ring confidential transactions library: description: "Below are some publications, books or magazines available for you to download." books: - category: Books publications: - name: "Zero to Monero" file: "Zero-to-Monero-1-0-0.pdf" abstract: > A comprehensive conceptual (and technical) explanation of Monero.
We endeavor to teach anyone who knows basic algebra and simple computer science concepts like the ‘bit representation’ of a number not only how Monero works at a deep and comprehensive level, but also how useful and beautiful cryptography can be. - name: "Mastering Monero" file: "https://masteringmonero.com/free-download.html" abstract: > A guide through the seemingly complex world of Monero.
It includes: See Mastering Monero website for information. - category: Magazines publications: - name: "Revuo Monero Q4 2017" file: "Revuo-2017-Q4.pdf" abstract: > Quarterly Monero magazine, Q4 2017 edition.
In this issue, updates about: development, Monero Research Lab, Kovri, and community. - name: "Revuo Monero Q3 2017" file: "Monero-Revuo-3Q-2017.pdf" abstract: > Quarterly Monero magazine, Q3 2017 edition.
In this issue, updates about: development, Monero Research Lab, Kovri, community, Hardware, and Monerujo. moneropedia: add_new_button: Add New Entry add_new_text1: If there is an entry you'd like to modify or be added, please add_new_link: open an issue on this website's GitLab repository add_new_text2: or submit changes via pull request entries: account: Account address-book: Address Book address: Address airgap: Airgap atomic-units: Atomic Units base32-address: Base32 address base64-address: Base64 address blockchain: Blockchain block: Block bootstrap-node: Bootstrap-node bulletproofs: Bulletproofs canonically-unique-host: Canonically-unique host change: Change clearnet: Clearnet coinbase: Coinbase Transaction consensus: Consensus cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency data-directory: Data Directory denominations: Denominations destination: Destination eepsite: Eepsite encryption: Encryption floodfill: Floodfill fluffyblocks: Fluffy Blocks fungibility: Fungibility garlic-encryption: Garlic-Encryption garlic-routing: Garlic Routing i2np: I2NP i2pcontrol: I2PControl i2p: I2P in-net: In-net java-i2p: Java I2P jump-service: Jump Service kovri: Kovri lease: Lease lease-set: Lease-Set locally-unique-host: Locally-unique host message: Message mining: Mining mnemonicseed: Mnemonic Seed network-database: Network Database node: Node ntcp: NTCP openalias: OpenAlias paperwallet: Paper Wallet paymentid: Payment ID pedersen-commitment: Pedersen Commitment reseed: Reseed ringCT: Ring CT ringsignatures: Ring Signature ring-size: Ring Size router-info: Router-Info scalability: Scalability signature: Cryptographic Signature smartmining: Smart Mining spendkey: Spend Key ssu: SSU stealthaddress: Stealth Address subscription: Subscription tail-emission: Tail Emission transaction: Transactions transports: Transports tunnel: Tunnel unlocktime: Transaction Unlock Time viewkey: View Key wallet: Wallet blog: title_1: All title_2: Blog title_3: Posts author: Posted by date: Posted at forum: Click here to join the discussion for this entry on the Monero Forum tags: notags: There are no posts for this tag.