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Is our only recourse downloading the entire block-chain to keep our wallets stored offline? Or do I have some misunderstanding? I just really like the conveni

• vertex-four 13y ago
  You can keep your wallet on your own computer with a "light" client like Electrum, which doesn't need to download the whole blockchain. There are some security tradeoffs, but nobody can outright steal your bitcoins without you doing anything.
• facepalm 13y ago
  You don't need the block chain to keep coins. You only need a wallet. Technically your private keys never need to see the internet at all. Edit: here is one way to do it https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/How_to_set_up_a_secure_offline_savings_wallet https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/How_to_set_up_a_secure_offline_sa... At a recent meetup there was a presentation recommending Electrum with HD wallets instead. That would mean you really would only need to memorize a passphrase, all the keys would be generated from that so no backup necessary. Personally I am not yet 100% sure HD wallets are safe, need to look into it.
• sexmonad 13y ago
  You can also use something like blockchain.info for slightly better security than coinbase. They do client-side encryption and decryption of wallets. Of course, if you forget your password, your coins are gone. And blockchain.info could always modify their code to steal your coins later. At least they couldn't steal them without you logging in. But a thin wallet like Electrum is probably your best bet.