Since EOS uses a different account structure than most blockchains, creating an account is not as simple as generating a single key pair. EOS accounts have various permissions which are linked to different actions in the account. While this might sound very complicated it is relatively simple to create an EOS account. We will discuss some of the possible methods in this article.

Before you start creating your own EOS account it is recommended to make yourself familiar with how EOS accounts work first. If you are not familiar with how EOS accounts work yet, we recommend reading our article on understanding how EOS accounts work before continuing.

Generating key pairs

Before we start with any of the two methods we will first have to generate two key pairs which we will use to create the new account. We will generate two key pairs as we want our owner and active permissions to have different keys, making the account more secure. While you can use the same key for the owner and active permission, it is less secure and therefore not recommended to do so.

We will generate our key pairs using the EOSKey tool which supports offline key generation. After downloading the file from their website you can run the program and go to the “Generate and Validate keys” tab.

Generating a key pair using EOSKey (do not use these keys)

Once you are on the “Generate and Validate keys” tab you can generate an EOS key pair. Make sure to store the keys very securely, preferably offline or in a safe storage place. After you have stored the first key pair you can generate the second key pair which you can then store as well. Once this is done we can move to the next step.

Creating an account

There are various ways to create an EOS account, some methods are really easy whereas other methods can be more secure yet more complicated. We will discuss two of the best and easiest ways to create an EOS account.

Account generator

The first and easiest way to create your own EOS account is to create your own EOS account using an account generator. An account generator only asks for your keys, an account name and then asks you to pay for the account which it then automatically creates.

Entering your keys in the account generator

We will be using the account generator by EOS Vibes for this tutorial. To start creating your account first enter your desired account name, then once you have chosen an available name click ‘continue’ and enter the keys you generated earlier. It does not matter which key you enter as your active or owner key, as long as you make sure you know which one is which (you will almost never need your owner key). Once you have verified your keys you can continue to the next step which will be paying for the account. Choose your preferred method of payment and follow the instructions. When the payment has been received the account will get created and you can use your keys to access the account.

Toolkit

The second method to create your own EOS account is by using an EOS toolkit. An EOS toolkit can be seen as an interface for a lot of EOS functionalities, for example creating and managing an account. While this method is simpler and has more options than the previous method, it requires you to already have an EOS account (or know somebody with an EOS account). For this tutorial we will be using the toolkit by GenerEOS.

First of all you/the person whom already has an EOS account has to attach their EOS account to the toolkit using Scatter. If they do not have Scatter yet, you/they should download it and follow the instructions on importing the account (we will also explain how to do this in the ‘Using your EOS account’ section). Once Scatter is configured and unlocked click ‘Attach account’ at the top left of the toolkit. Then navigate to the ‘Create account’ section.

Creating an account using a toolkit

Fill in your desired account name (the Creator name will automatically get filled in once you have connected Scatter) and the keys. Make sure you know which key becomes the active key and which one becomes the ownerkey. You can leave the CPU stake, Net stake and RAM purchase at the default settings, as these settings are fine for most users. Finally, make sure to turn the ‘Transfer’ option on to ensure the new account becomes fully separate from the original account, click CREATE and confirm the transaction using Scatter to execute the creation of the new account.

Always make sure the EOS account you are using to create the new account contains enough EOS to create a new account. The cost of creating a new account (using the above settings) can be calculated in the following way: (Current RAM price/Kb)*(8192/1024)+0.1+0.1=The minimum amount of EOS required to create a new account

Using your EOS account

Now you have created your own EOS account you are likely very eager to start using your account, so let’s start right away. The easiest and most supported way to access and use your account is by using Scatter, a desktop application which supports EOS and is used to access most EOS dapps and toolkits. Scatter can be downloaded from here.

Your password alternative represents your password as a phrase

Install Scatter and follow the instructions. Start off by picking a password. Make sure to store it safely as you will need it to access your Scatter. You will then be prompted to the ‘Password Alternative’ screen, which gives you a phrase which represents your password. Store it safely and securely (preferably offline/on paper), as you will only need it if you lose your original password.

After you are done storing the password and alternative password you can continue. Accept the terms and agreements and choose a destination folder for the automatic backups.

The next step is importing the keys of your account into Scatter. Click ‘Import an existing key’ and then click ‘Import private key as text’. After following the steps a new screen will open where you can enter your (first) private key. Start by adding the owner private key and click on ‘Import’.

Make sure to pick @active for the active key and @owner for the owner key

If the key is filled in correctly you will be prompted to the above screen. In here you can give the key a name so it is easily recognizable and you can link it to the owner permission on your EOS account in Scatter by entering your_account_name@owner in the ‘Account Name’ section. Once you are done adding the owner key you can add the active key. Click ‘Add Keys’ and follow the same steps, the only difference is that you should add the activekey and use your_account_name@active in the ‘Account Name’ section.

Now you are all set to start using your favorite dapps and toolkits. Before you start using dapps make sure to unlock your Scatter application. Once this is done all applications can be accessed by clicking ‘Login with Scatter’, which you then have to accept in the Scatter application. Always be wary when using dapps and toolkits though and always check a (trans)action before you accept it in Scatter.

For a complete guide on how to move your EOS off of exchanges we recommend this article. We will create our own article on this topic soon.

About us

Founding block producer for the EOS mainnet. Block producer for the BOS mainnet. WAX Guild candidate. Partner in the Europechain sister chain. Investor in blockchain projects. Governance, intercultural cooperation and security specialist. You can find us here:
EOS Block Producer name: eosamsterdam
BOS Block Producer name: amsterdambos
WAX Guild name: amsterdamwax
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