RustChain Wallet Setup for Beginners

June 14, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

This guide is for someone who has never used crypto before.

RustChain uses RTC as its native token. A common reference rate in the project docs is 1 RTC = $0.15 USD. The network has already reached 500 wallet holders, and code bounties commonly pay 1 to 400 RTC depending on difficulty.

First: understand what "wallet" means on RustChain

On RustChain, you will see two public wallet styles:

  • A human-readable miner ID, such as victus-x86-scott
  • An Ed25519-backed RustChain address, such as RTC14f06ee294f327f5685d3de5e1ed501cffab33e7

Both can show up in balance lookups and mining rewards.

Important difference:

  • A miner ID is a public identifier used by the miner and explorer
  • An RTC... address is a public identifier backed by a private key and can be used for signed transfers

If you only want to start mining, the auto-generated miner wallet is enough. If you want to send RTC yourself, create or restore an Ed25519-backed RTC... wallet.

Network and API endpoints

These are the main RustChain endpoints used in this guide:

  • Health: https://rustchain.org/health
  • Active miners: https://rustchain.org/api/miners
  • Current epoch: https://rustchain.org/epoch
  • Wallet balance: https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=YOUR_WALLET
  • Explorer: https://rustchain.org/explorer/

Use curl -sk because the public node uses a self-signed TLS certificate.

1. Three ways to get an RTC wallet

Method A: install the miner and let RustChain create one for you

This is the fastest way to get started.

curl -sL https://rustchain.org/install.sh | bash

What happens next:

  1. The installer checks your machine and downloads the Python miner.
  2. It asks for a wallet ID.
  3. You can type your own wallet ID, or press Enter to let RustChain auto-generate one.
  4. At the end, the installer prints your wallet ID on screen.

Example wallet IDs:

  • victus-x86-scott
  • RTC14f06ee294f327f5685d3de5e1ed501cffab33e7

On Linux, the installer saves the miner config here:

cat /opt/rustchain-miner/config.json

You should see a wallet_id field.

Example:

{
  "wallet_id": "victus-x86-scott",
  "node_url": "https://rustchain.org"
}

This method is best if your goal is:

  • Start mining quickly
  • Receive epoch rewards automatically
  • Get a wallet ID without learning signatures first

Method B: use the wallet GUI

If you want a visual wallet, use the RustChain wallet GUI from the repo.

git clone https://github.com/Scottcjn/Rustchain.git
cd Rustchain
python3 -m pip install requests
python3 wallet/rustchain_wallet_gui.py

In the GUI:

  1. Click New Wallet
  2. Save the wallet ID it creates
  3. Use Load later to reopen it
  4. Use the balance panel to refresh your RTC amount

Important note:

  • wallet/rustchain_wallet_gui.py is the simple GUI wallet
  • If your checkout includes wallet/rustchain_wallet_secure.py, prefer that for real funds because it uses encrypted keystores and seed phrase backup

Run the secure GUI like this:

python3 wallet/rustchain_wallet_secure.py

The secure GUI stores encrypted wallet files here:

ls ~/.rustchain/wallets

Method C: create one programmatically with the Python wallet and crypto module

If you are comfortable running Python, this is the easiest self-custody path.

Install the official Python SDK:

python3 -m pip install rustchain

Create a wallet:

python3 - <<'PY'
from rustchain_sdk import RustChainWallet

wallet = RustChainWallet.create(strength=256)  # 24-word wallet
print("Address:", wallet.address)
print("Public key:", wallet.public_key_hex)
print("Seed phrase:", " ".join(wallet.seed_phrase))
PY

What to save immediately:

  • The RTC... address
  • The 24-word seed phrase
  • The private key only if you know how to protect it

2. How to check your balance

Method 1: curl

This is the most direct balance check:

curl -sk 'https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=YOUR_WALLET'

Example:

curl -sk 'https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=victus-x86-scott'

Typical response:

{
  "amount_i64": 266673241,
  "amount_rtc": 266.673241,
  "miner_id": "victus-x86-scott"
}

Method 2: explorer

Open the explorer:

https://rustchain.org/explorer/

Use it like this:

  1. Look at Active Attestations
  2. Find your miner ID or RTC... address in the list
  3. Confirm your machine is live on the network
  4. For the exact numeric balance, open the balance endpoint in your browser:
https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=YOUR_WALLET

The explorer is the best visual way to confirm that your miner is online. The balance endpoint is the exact numeric source of truth.

Method 3: wallet GUI

In the GUI wallet:

  1. Enter your wallet ID or load your saved wallet
  2. Click Load or Refresh
  3. Read the balance shown in the balance panel

The GUI is easier if you do not want to use the terminal.

3. How to receive RTC

Option 1: mine it

Mining is automatic once your miner is installed and online.

Useful checks:

curl -sk https://rustchain.org/health
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/api/miners
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/epoch

What to expect:

  • The miner appears in /api/miners
  • RustChain pays mining rewards every epoch
  • Current public docs describe epochs as roughly 10-minute reward cycles

Option 2: earn bounties

RustChain pays RTC for code contributions.

Typical payout flow:

  1. Pick a bounty issue
  2. Submit a pull request
  3. Get the PR reviewed and merged
  4. Share your wallet address when asked, or include it in the PR description
  5. Receive RTC from the community fund

Typical reward sizes:

  • Small docs/tests: 1-10 RTC
  • Standard work: 20-50 RTC
  • Major work: 75-150 RTC
  • Critical or special security work: up to 400 RTC

Option 3: receive a transfer from another wallet

To receive RTC, share your public wallet only:

  • A miner ID like victus-x86-scott, or
  • An RTC... address like RTC14f06ee294f327f5685d3de5e1ed501cffab33e7

Never share your seed phrase or private key.

4. How to send RTC

Before you send: know which wallet type you have

If your wallet is only a simple miner ID, you can mine to it and receive funds there. But public signed transfers require an Ed25519-backed RTC... wallet. A readable miner ID like victus-x86-scott is not enough by itself for POST /wallet/transfer/signed.

If you plan to send RTC yourself, use:

  • The secure GUI wallet, or
  • A programmatic RTC... wallet created from the Python SDK

Method 1: send with the secure wallet GUI

If you are using wallet/rustchain_wallet_secure.py:

  1. Load your wallet from ~/.rustchain/wallets
  2. Copy and paste the recipient RTC... address
  3. Enter the amount
  4. Optionally add a memo
  5. Enter your wallet password
  6. Click SIGN & SEND

Under the hood, the GUI signs your transfer and posts it to:

POST https://rustchain.org/wallet/transfer/signed

Method 2: send via the signed transfer API

You cannot safely send RTC with plain curl alone because the transfer must be signed first.

Install the required Python packages:

python3 -m pip install pynacl requests

Then run:

python3 - <<'PY'
import hashlib
import json
import time
import requests
from nacl.signing import SigningKey

NODE_URL = "https://rustchain.org"
PRIVATE_KEY_HEX = "YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX"
TO_ADDRESS = "RTC_RECIPIENT_ADDRESS"
AMOUNT_RTC = 1.0
MEMO = "First RustChain transfer"
NONCE = int(time.time())

signing_key = SigningKey(bytes.fromhex(PRIVATE_KEY_HEX))
public_key_hex = signing_key.verify_key.encode().hex()
from_address = "RTC" + hashlib.sha256(bytes.fromhex(public_key_hex)).hexdigest()[:40]

canonical = {
    "from": from_address,
    "to": TO_ADDRESS,
    "amount": AMOUNT_RTC,
    "memo": MEMO,
    "nonce": str(NONCE),
}

message = json.dumps(canonical, sort_keys=True, separators=(",", ":")).encode()
signature_hex = signing_key.sign(message).signature.hex()

payload = {
    "from_address": from_address,
    "to_address": TO_ADDRESS,
    "amount_rtc": AMOUNT_RTC,
    "memo": MEMO,
    "nonce": NONCE,
    "chain_id": "rustchain-mainnet-v2",
    "public_key": public_key_hex,
    "signature": signature_hex,
}

resp = requests.post(
    f"{NODE_URL}/wallet/transfer/signed",
    json=payload,
    verify=False,
    timeout=15,
)

print(resp.status_code)
print(resp.json())
PY

Why Ed25519 signatures matter

RustChain requires Ed25519 signatures so the network can verify:

  • You really own the wallet you are sending from
  • Nobody changed the amount or destination after you signed
  • The transfer is tied to a unique nonce, which helps block replay attacks

If someone knows only your public wallet name, they still cannot send your funds without your private key.

5. Security basics

Back up your wallet

What to back up depends on how you created it:

  • Miner install: save the printed wallet ID and copy /opt/rustchain-miner/config.json
  • Secure GUI: back up the 24-word seed phrase and ~/.rustchain/wallets/*.json
  • Programmatic wallet: back up the seed phrase and any encrypted keystore you create

Never share your private key

Never send anyone:

  • Your private key hex
  • Your seed phrase
  • Your wallet password
  • Your encrypted keystore file unless you fully trust the destination and know why you are doing it

Wallet name vs private key

Public information:

  • Miner ID
  • RTC... address

Secret information:

  • Seed phrase
  • Private key
  • Password used to unlock your encrypted wallet

You can safely post your public wallet in a PR comment for bounty payment. You must never post your seed phrase or private key.

6. Common questions

Where is my wallet stored?

Usually here:

  • Miner install: /opt/rustchain-miner/config.json
  • Running Linux miner: sometimes also /tmp/local_miner_wallet.txt
  • Secure GUI and CLI keystores: ~/.rustchain/wallets/
  • Programmatic wallet: wherever you saved it

I lost my wallet name

Try these in order:

cat /opt/rustchain-miner/config.json
ls ~/.rustchain/wallets
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/api/miners

If you still have the secure wallet keystore or seed phrase, you can usually recover the public RTC... address. If you lost the seed phrase and private key for a self-custody wallet, nobody can recover the funds for you.

Why is my balance zero?

Common reasons:

  • You queried the wrong wallet ID
  • Your miner has not finished a reward cycle yet
  • Your miner is not showing up in /api/miners
  • The wallet is brand new and has never received RTC
  • You are checking a human-readable miner ID, but your funds are in a separate RTC... wallet, or the other way around

Quick checks:

curl -sk https://rustchain.org/health
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/api/miners
curl -sk 'https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=YOUR_WALLET'

How long until I earn RTC?

For mining:

  • Your miner must attest successfully
  • Your miner must stay online through a reward cycle
  • RustChain then credits rewards at epoch settlement

In current public docs, epochs are described as roughly 10 minutes. If you just started, give it at least one full epoch before assuming something is wrong.

For bounties:

  • Payment happens after review and merge
  • You usually receive funds after you share your wallet address with the maintainers

Quick start if you want the shortest possible path

  1. Install the miner:
curl -sL https://rustchain.org/install.sh | bash

  1. Copy the wallet ID shown at the end.

  2. Check your balance:

curl -sk 'https://rustchain.org/wallet/balance?miner_id=YOUR_WALLET'
  1. Confirm you are live:
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/api/miners
curl -sk https://rustchain.org/epoch
  1. If you later want to send RTC yourself, create a secure RTC... wallet with the secure GUI or the Python wallet module.