web3-eth-personal.rst

web3.eth.personal
The web3-eth-personal package allows you to interact with the Ethereum node's accounts.
Note Many of these functions send sensitive information like passwords. Never call these functions over a unsecured Websocket or HTTP provider, as your password will be sent in plain text!
var Personal = require('web3-eth-personal');
// "Personal.providers.givenProvider" will be set if in an Ethereum supported browser.
var personal = new Personal(Personal.givenProvider || 'ws://some.local-or-remote.node:8546');
// or using the web3 umbrella package
var Web3 = require('web3');
var web3 = new Web3(Web3.givenProvider || 'ws://some.local-or-remote.node:8546');
// -> web3.eth.personal
newAccount

web3.eth.personal.newAccount(password, [callback])

Creates a new account.

Note

Never call this function over a unsecured Websocket or HTTP provider, as your password will be sent in plain text!

Parameters

1. password - String: The password to encrypt this account with.

Returns

Promise returns String: The address of the newly created account.

Example

web3.eth.personal.newAccount('!@superpassword')
.then(console.log);
> '0x1234567891011121314151617181920212223456'

---

sign

web3.eth.personal.sign(dataToSign, address, password [, callback])

The sign method calculates an Ethereum specific signature with:

sign(keccak256("\x19Ethereum Signed Message:\n" + dataToSign.length + dataToSign)))

Adding a prefix to the message makes the calculated signature recognisable as an Ethereum specific signature.

If you have the original message and the signed message, you can discover the signing account address using web3.eth.personal.ecRecover <eth-personal-ecRecover>. See example below.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. String - Data to sign. If String it will be converted using web3.utils.utf8ToHex <utils-utf8tohex>.
2. String - Address to sign data with.
3. String - The password of the account to sign data with.
4. Function - (optional) Optional callback, returns an error object as first parameter and the result as second.

Returns

Promise returns String - The signature.

Example

web3.eth.personal.sign("Hello world", "0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe", "test password!")
.then(console.log);
> "0x30755ed65396facf86c53e6217c52b4daebe72aa4941d89635409de4c9c7f9466d4e9aaec7977f05e923889b33c0d0dd27d7226b6e6f56ce737465c5cfd04be400"

// the below is the same
web3.eth.personal.sign(web3.utils.utf8ToHex("Hello world"), "0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe", "test password!")
.then(console.log);
> "0x30755ed65396facf86c53e6217c52b4daebe72aa4941d89635409de4c9c7f9466d4e9aaec7977f05e923889b33c0d0dd27d7226b6e6f56ce737465c5cfd04be400"

// recover the signing account address using original message and signed message
web3.eth.personal.ecRecover("Hello world", "0x30755ed65396...etc...")
.then(console.log);
> "0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe"

---

ecRecover

web3.eth.personal.ecRecover(dataThatWasSigned, signature [, callback])

Recovers the account that signed the data.

Parameters

1. String - Data that was signed. If String it will be converted using web3.utils.utf8ToHex <utils-utf8tohex>.
2. String - The signature.
3. Function - (optional) Optional callback, returns an error object as first parameter and the result as second.

Returns

Promise returns String - The account.

Example

web3.eth.personal.ecRecover("Hello world", "0x30755ed65396facf86c53e6217c52b4daebe72aa4941d89635409de4c9c7f9466d4e9aaec7977f05e923889b33c0d0dd27d7226b6e6f56ce737465c5cfd04be400").then(console.log);
> "0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe"

---

signTransaction

web3.eth.personal.signTransaction(transaction, password [, callback])

Signs a transaction. This account needs to be unlocked.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. Object - The transaction data to sign web3.eth.sendTransaction() <eth-sendtransaction> for more.
2. String - The password of the from account, to sign the transaction with.
3. Function - (optional) Optional callback, returns an error object as first parameter and the result as second.

Returns

Promise returns Object - The RLP encoded transaction. The raw property can be used to send the transaction using web3.eth.sendSignedTransaction <eth-sendsignedtransaction>.

Example

web3.eth.signTransaction({
    from: "0xEB014f8c8B418Db6b45774c326A0E64C78914dC0",
    gasPrice: "20000000000",
    gas: "21000",
    to: '0x3535353535353535353535353535353535353535',
    value: "1000000000000000000",
    data: ""
}, 'MyPassword!').then(console.log);
> {
    raw: '0xf86c808504a817c800825208943535353535353535353535353535353535353535880de0b6b3a76400008025a04f4c17305743700648bc4f6cd3038ec6f6af0df73e31757007b7f59df7bee88da07e1941b264348e80c78c4027afc65a87b0a5e43e86742b8ca0823584c6788fd0',
    tx: {
        nonce: '0x0',
        gasPrice: '0x4a817c800',
        gas: '0x5208',
        to: '0x3535353535353535353535353535353535353535',
        value: '0xde0b6b3a7640000',
        input: '0x',
        v: '0x25',
        r: '0x4f4c17305743700648bc4f6cd3038ec6f6af0df73e31757007b7f59df7bee88d',
        s: '0x7e1941b264348e80c78c4027afc65a87b0a5e43e86742b8ca0823584c6788fd0',
        hash: '0xda3be87732110de6c1354c83770aae630ede9ac308d9f7b399ecfba23d923384'
    }
}

---

sendTransaction

web3.eth.personal.sendTransaction(transactionOptions, password [, callback])

This method sends a transaction over the management API.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. Object - The transaction options
2. String - The passphrase for the current account
3. Function - (optional) Optional callback, returns an error object as first parameter and the result as second.

Returns

Promise<string> - The transaction hash.

Example

web3.eth.sendTransaction({
    from: "0xEB014f8c8B418Db6b45774c326A0E64C78914dC0",
    gasPrice: "20000000000",
    gas: "21000",
    to: '0x3535353535353535353535353535353535353535',
    value: "1000000000000000000",
    data: ""
}, 'MyPassword!').then(console.log);
> '0xda3be87732110de6c1354c83770aae630ede9ac308d9f7b399ecfba23d923384'

---

unlockAccount

web3.eth.personal.unlockAccount(address, password, unlockDuraction [, callback])

Signs data using a specific account.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. address - String: The account address.
2. password - String - The password of the account.
3. unlockDuration - Number - The duration for the account to remain unlocked.

Example

web3.eth.personal.unlockAccount("0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe", "test password!", 600)
.then(console.log('Account unlocked!'));
> "Account unlocked!"

---

lockAccount

web3.eth.personal.lockAccount(address [, callback])

Locks the given account.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. address - String: The account address.
2. Function - (optional) Optional callback, returns an error object as first parameter and the result as second.

Returns

Promise<boolean>

Example

web3.eth.personal.lockAccount("0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe")
.then(console.log('Account locked!'));
> "Account locked!"

---

getAccounts

web3.eth.personal.getAccounts([callback])

Returns a list of accounts the node controls by using the provider and calling the RPC method personal_listAccounts. Using web3.eth.accounts.create() <accounts-create> will not add accounts into this list. For that use web3.eth.personal.newAccount() <personal-newaccount>.

The results are the same as web3.eth.getAccounts() <eth-getaccounts> except that calls the RPC method eth_accounts.

Returns

Promise<Array> - An array of addresses controlled by node.

Example

web3.eth.personal.getAccounts()
.then(console.log);
> ["0x11f4d0A3c12e86B4b5F39B213F7E19D048276DAe", "0xDCc6960376d6C6dEa93647383FfB245CfCed97Cf"]

---

importRawKey

web3.eth.personal.importRawKey(privateKey, password)

Imports the given private key into the key store, encrypting it with the passphrase.

Returns the address of the new account.

Note

Sending your account password over an unsecured HTTP RPC connection is highly unsecure.

Parameters

1. privateKey - String - An unencrypted private key (hex string).
2. password - String - The password of the account.

Returns

Promise<string> - The address of the account.

Example

web3.eth.personal.importRawKey("cd3376bb711cb332ee3fb2ca04c6a8b9f70c316fcdf7a1f44ef4c7999483295e", "password1234")
.then(console.log);
> "0x8f337bf484b2fc75e4b0436645dcc226ee2ac531"