Account Management

Learn how to create and manage accounts in the Avalanche Client SDK with support for EVM, X-Chain, and P-Chain operations.

Overview

Avalanche accounts work across all three chains—P-Chain, X-Chain, and C-Chain—with a single account. Each account provides both EVM addresses (for C-Chain) and XP addresses (for X/P-Chain), so you can interact with the entire Avalanche network without managing separate accounts.

Account Structure

Every Avalanche account has an EVM account for C-Chain and an optional XP account for X/P-Chain:

type AvalancheAccount = {
  evmAccount: Account; // C-Chain
  xpAccount?: XPAccount; // X/P-Chain
  getEVMAddress: () => Address;
  getXPAddress: (chain?: "X" | "P" | "C", hrp?: string) => XPAddress;
};

Quick Start

import { privateKeyToAvalancheAccount } from "@avalanche-sdk/client/accounts";
import { createAvalancheWalletClient } from "@avalanche-sdk/client";
import { avalanche } from "@avalanche-sdk/client/chains";

const account = privateKeyToAvalancheAccount("0x...");

const walletClient = createAvalancheWalletClient({
  account,
  chain: avalanche,
  transport: { type: "http" },
});

// Get addresses for all chains
const evmAddress = account.getEVMAddress(); // 0x742d35Cc...
const xChainAddress = account.getXPAddress("X"); // X-avax1...
const pChainAddress = account.getXPAddress("P"); // P-avax1...

Account Types

Local Accounts

Local accounts store keys on your machine and sign transactions before broadcasting. Use these for server-side apps, bots, or when you need full control.

Private Key Accounts - Simple and direct
Mnemonic Accounts - Easy recovery with seed phrases
HD Key Accounts - Advanced key derivation

JSON-RPC Accounts

JSON-RPC accounts use external wallets (MetaMask, Core, etc.) for signing. Perfect for browser-based dApps where users control their own keys.

Learn more about JSON-RPC accounts →

Working with Accounts

EVM Account

The evmAccount handles all C-Chain operations—smart contracts, ERC-20 transfers, and standard EVM interactions.

const evmAccount = account.evmAccount;
console.log(evmAccount.address); // 0x742d35Cc...

XP Account

The xpAccount handles X-Chain and P-Chain operations—UTXO transactions, asset transfers, and staking.

if (account.xpAccount) {
  const xpAccount = account.xpAccount;
  console.log(xpAccount.publicKey);
}

Getting Addresses

// C-Chain address
const evmAddress = account.getEVMAddress(); // 0x742d35Cc...

// X/P-Chain addresses
const xChainAddress = account.getXPAddress("X"); // X-avax1...
const pChainAddress = account.getXPAddress("P"); // P-avax1...

// Network-specific (mainnet vs testnet)
const mainnet = account.getXPAddress("X", "avax");
const testnet = account.getXPAddress("X", "fuji");

Creating Accounts

Private Key

import { privateKeyToAvalancheAccount } from "@avalanche-sdk/client/accounts";

const account = privateKeyToAvalancheAccount("0x...");

Private Key Accounts →

Mnemonic

import { mnemonicsToAvalancheAccount } from "@avalanche-sdk/client/accounts";

const account = mnemonicsToAvalancheAccount("abandon abandon abandon...");

Mnemonic Accounts →

HD Key

import { hdKeyToAvalancheAccount, HDKey } from "@avalanche-sdk/client/accounts";

const hdKey = HDKey.fromMasterSeed(seed);
const account = hdKeyToAvalancheAccount(hdKey, { accountIndex: 0 });

HD Key Accounts →

Address Formats

C-Chain: 0x... (Ethereum-compatible)
X/P-Chain: avax1... or X-avax1... / P-avax1... (Bech32-encoded)

Network-Specific Addresses →

Security

Never expose private keys or mnemonics in client-side code or commit them to version control. Use environment variables.

// ✅ Good
const account = privateKeyToAvalancheAccount(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!);

// ❌ Bad
const account = privateKeyToAvalancheAccount("0x1234...");

Comparison Table

Feature	Private Key	Mnemonic	HD Key	JSON-RPC
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recovery	❌	✅	✅	❌
Multi-Account	❌	✅	✅	❌
Security	⚠️ High	✅ High	✅ High	✅ Very High
Use Case	Server/Bots	User Apps	Advanced	User Apps

Next Steps

Private Key Accounts - Simple and direct
Mnemonic Accounts - Easy recovery
HD Key Accounts - Advanced key derivation
JSON-RPC Accounts - Browser wallet integration
Account Utilities - Helper functions
Wallet Operations - Send transactions

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