Account

An account refers to an actor in the blockchain ecosystem.

Address

Each account has a unique identifier called an address. Think of it like a bank account number — it is public information you can share with others so they can send you funds.

Addresses are derived from your public key using a deterministic encoding (SS58). This means the address is mathematically tied to your keypair: whoever controls the private key controls the account.

A single person can have multiple accounts, each with its own address and separate balance.

Addresses on the Mosaic Chain and on the Polkadot System Chains start with 1.

Stash Account

This refers to the user's cold wallet, kept offline for security. It stores Validator / Delegator NFTs and is the ultimate owner of all funds on the chain.

DANGER

If you lose access to your stash account, you will lose access to all of your funds (NFTs and MOS) on the chain.

Controller Account

This is a hot wallet stored on validator nodes that handles daily tasks on behalf of the stash account. Because its private key is exposed on the node, it is limited to certain types of actions — for example, it can chill or unchill the validator, but cannot transfer funds on behalf of the stash account.

Proxy connection

The connection between the stash account and the controller account is called a proxy. It gives certain privileges for the controller account to execute transactions on behalf of the stash account.