Trivia: Wallets on the Ethereum network with leading zeros use less fuel when storing information, as less storage space is needed to store these values. More information can be found here. As a result, you may see web3 developers online whose handles are the first few digits of their public key. The public key serves as evidence of their activity on the chain, as anyone can use a network explorer to view the activity associated with a public key. If you're interested in creating your own vanity wallet, check out this GitHub repository.

Wallet providers

It's helpful to think of wallet providers as a window that allows you to easily view and interact with your wallet. Most wallet providers you've probably dealt with have a convenient user interface like Exodus, Atomic, or Metamask that allows you to sign transactions and send cryptocurrencies with one click. However, it's important to know that your wallet is vendor-agnostic, meaning that once it's created, you can view and interact with it from any wallet software as long as you have the appropriate private key.

Custodial

A custodial wallet is managed by a third party, just like a central exchange. The third party manages your private key and authorizes your transactions for you. This is fine as long as you trust it. The benefits are aimed at non-technical users who don't want to keep track of their private data.

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