Neuron Wallet Tutorial: a desktop $CKB wallet developed by Nervos Network
What is Nervos Network and $CKB?
Nervos Network is a cutting-edge multilayer public blockchain network built to solve the blockchain trilemma (decentralization, scalability, and security). Layer 1 of Nervos Network maintains digital assets using the $CKB token and provides arbitration for higher-level layers using a sophisticated UTXO architecture. Layer 2 solutions, such as Godwoken, an EVM-compatible platform built on top of Layer 1, inherit the security from Layer 1 while extending the capabilities of the blockchain. Through this multi-layer design, blockchain developers can deploy an endless number of future-proof, scalable, and secure decentralized apps with the tools they love, the speed they need, and affordable fees.
The Common Knowledge Byte token, also known as $CKB, is the native token for Nervos Network. It is a cryptocurrency that can be used as a secure store of value, like Bitcoin. $CKB can also be used to execute smart contracts similar to Ethereum. The unique crypto-economic design of $CKB makes it ideal for digital asset storage on Layer 1 of Nervos Network, known as Common Knowledge Base, and captures the total value of the network to increase security and align the interests of users, miners, developers, and node operators alike.
What is Neuron Wallet?
The Neuron wallet is a desktop CKB wallet developed by Nervina Labs in collaboration with Nervos Network, considered to be Nervos Network's native crypto wallet. Neuron runs a CKB node in the background and does a full sync of the Nervos CKB layer 1 blockchain. This full node syncing solution helps secure the Nervos Network by creating more distributed copies of the blockchain, and it also offers the highest security since the wallet is connected directly to the peer-to-peer network, without any trusted intermediaries.
Download the Neuron Wallet:
How to Download Neuron Wallet
To download Neuron, follow two simple steps:
- Download and install Neuron Wallet
- Wait for the synchronization to end
First, download the latest version of Neuron for your operating system from Neuron's GitHub releases page.
Note: If you run CKB node on Windows but it fails to start, you may need to download and install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio.
Next wait until Neuron has reached a full sync. When syncing upon first installation, it may take up to several hours, however, the syncing time will be significantly reduced after the first initial sync. This is because Neuron utilizes a full node solution, meaning it downloads the entire Nervos blockchain onto running a CKB node upon first installation. After this first sync, Neuron will continue a CKB node in the background, and syncing time will be significantly reduced. Ultimately, this full node solution results in a superiorly secure wallet since it is not dependent on any third parties outside of Nervos.
For troubleshooting with Neuron syncing -> read our Neuron Wallet FAQs
You can cross-check the Block Number in Neuron with CKB-Explorer's Latest Block to see how many blocks are left to sync, as shown below:
Visit the official Neuron Wallet guide for reference.
Create a New Wallet in Neuron
If you are creating a new wallet, select 'Create a New Wallet' and record your wallet seed. If you lose your seed, you will not be able to recover your wallet. It is important that you keep this safe.
IMPORTANT: The Nervos Team will NEVER ask for your private key, keystore file, mnemonic seed phase or wallet password. You should NEVER share this information with anyone, doing so may result in loss of all your tokens.
If you are importing a wallet into Neuron with Wallet Seed, Keystore, Extended Public Key, or Hardware Wallet, refer to the official Neuron Wallet guide.
Buy $CKB
$CKB can not be purchased directly in Neuron, therefore you must buy $CKB somewhere else and transfer it to Neuron. Fortunately, transactions fees in $CKB are negligible, often less than $0.25!
To buy $CKB:
- Open an account on an exchange that supports $CKB. Find which exchanges supporting CKB here.
- Deposit funds into your exchange account.
- Follow directions specific to your exchange, buy Nervos Network ($CKB).
- Send $CKB from exchange wallet to Neuron.
- Transactions can be verified on the CKBExplorer.
For more information on buying/selling $CKB, refer to this guide: How to Buy, Sell, and Spend $CKB
Neuron Wallet Guide:
The left side menu contains general information and functions such as account overview, send CKB, receive CKB, view transaction history, interact with the NervosDAO, and develop with experimental features.
Overview Panel:
- Displays current balance
- View recent transactions
The Overview panel contains general information, such as your current balance and recent activities. Recent activities list your most recent transactions including their date, type, amount, and status.
Send $CKB Panel:
- Send $CKB
The Send panel displays your current balance and a form to send CKB to other mainnet CKB addresses. Multiple transactions can be processed at a time by pressing the "+" button. The transaction fees will be listed at the bottom.
Receive $CKB Panel:
- Receive $CKB
- Generate new receiving addresses
The Receive panel contains your receiving address for your Neuron Wallet. For enhanced security and privacy, Neuron generates a new receiving address every time you use it. To use a previous receiving address, simply view all of your previous addresses in the Address Book. You can copy your address by simply clicking on the 46-character short address or by scanning the QR code above.
History Panel:
- Display and search transaction history
- View transaction details
- Export transaction history
The History panel shows your full transaction history and includes a search bar for easy access. You can export your transaction history by clicking on the green 'download' button to the right of the search bar.
Each transaction includes relevant data such as transaction type, status, confirmations, transaction hash, description, date, and amount. A more detailed view of transaction details can be viewed by clicking the blue icon in the lower right corner.
NervosDAO Panel:
The NervosDAO panel allows you to interact directly with the NervosDAO within the Neuron wallet.
What is the NervosDAO?
NervosDAO is a permissionless, decentralized, and trustless feature of the CKB economic model which enables users to earn rewards on their idle $CKB, similar to staking. Learn More about NervosDAO here.
From Neuron wallet, you can deposit and withdraw in NervosDAO.
Available will show your CKB total balance in Neuron and Locked is the amount of deposited into NervosDAO. The APC shows the current Annual Percentage Compensation, or annual percentage rate, for NervosDAO. Learn more about the NervosDAO APC here.
To deposit and withdraw into NervosDAO from Neuron, please refer to this simple guide: How do I deposit and withdraw funds from NervosDAO on Neuron?
Note: Depositing into NervosDAO locks your deposit for a full compensation cycle, about ~1 month. Your rewards will be automatically added when you withdraw!
Experimental:
Customized Accounts and Asset Accounts are both experimental features for blockchain developers. For more information on these features, check out the Nervos Official Neuron Wallet Docs.
Settings
The settings can be accessed in the top menu under 'Help'.
Under General you can set your language, view your current Neuron version, check for updates, and clear your cache. If you encounter syncing problems in Neuron, clear your cache so that Neuron can rescan block data.
Make sure to press Apply to save your changes!
You can also manage your wallets and networks under Wallets and Network settings.
Quick Troubleshooting
The internal data caches that Neuron uses can sometimes become outdated or corrupted due to synchronization issues or if the application quits unexpectedly. Clearing the cache forces Neuron to rebuild and resync its data indexes using the downloaded blockchain data.
Therefore, if you are experiencing display or syncing issues in Neuron, clearing your cache and checking for updates under General settings is the most likely fix! Also, make sure that there is nothing compromising your network speed and computer power, and turn off VPNs.
For further assistance, feel free to consult the #support channel in our Discord. You can also view and an create issues on GitHub. We also recommend saving your debug information and providing further details on your computer specs and operating system.