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Mavis ID glossary

Overview​

This glossary provides definitions for the key terms and concepts used in the Mavis ID service.

Terms​

Keyless wallet​

A wallet created without the need for the user or developer to handle private keys directly. This is the MPC wallet.

Mavis ID​

A unique identifier (UUID) generated for a user during the onboarding process. It links the user's identity to their Mavis Wallet and seed phrase Ronin Wallet, if available.

MPC​

Multi-party computation (MPC) is a cryptographic technology used in Mavis ID to generate ultra-secure Web3 wallets called Mavis Wallets. It replaces the private key with two or more shards. One shard is stored on the user's device, the other on the Sky Mavis server. These shards are used collaboratively to sign transactions and execute Web3 operations. The private key is never fully assembled in one place, making it more secure against hacking attempts.

Private key​

In traditional blockchain wallets, a private key is a long string of random characters that must be kept secret. Anyone who has access to the private key can sign transactions on behalf of the wallet owner.

In MPC, what we refer to as the "private key" is conceptually the same entity but it is never actually instantiated or held by any single party in its entirety.

Private key shard​

A private key shard is a piece of the private key that is generated and held by a single party. In Mavis ID, the private key is split into multiple shards, with each shard held by a different party. The shards are used collaboratively to sign transactions and perform cryptographic operations without ever reconstructing the full private key.

One shard is stored on the user's device, and the other shard is stored on the Sky Mavis server. This distributed storage model enhances security and reduces the risk of a single point of failure.

Public key​

A cryptographic key that is derived from the private key and is used to receive transactions in a blockchain wallet. This is the user's wallet address.

Recovery kit​

A recovery kit is an 8-word phrase that users receive after creating their Mavis Wallet. It's used to restore access to the wallet in case the user forgets their passphrase. The recovery kit is the second layer of security for the Mavis Wallet. Losing the recovery kit means losing access to the wallet permanently.

Recovery password​

A user-defined secret phrase used to access the wallet each time the user initiates a new session or logs in on a different device. This password is used to encrypt and decrypt the private key shard stored on the user's device.