Overview

What is io.vault?

io.vault allows organisations such as cryptocurrency exchanges, DeFi platforms, OTC desks, and trading funds to hold, manage, and transact digital assets without relying on third-party custodians.

At its core, io.vault uses Trustless Multi-Party Computation (tMPC), a cryptographic technique based on Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS). tMPC eliminates the single point of failure in traditional private key management by distributing signing authority across multiple participants and devices according to configurable rules.

With io.vault, you maintain direct control over your assets:

• Distributed key security. Key shares are split across signers using threshold signing (ECDSA and EdDSA), so no single entity holds a complete key. The Virtual Signer runs within Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for hardware-rooted protection.
• Automated signing. The Virtual Signer operates 24/7, integrates custom business logic, and handles diverse asset types without manual intervention.
• Flexible configuration. You define vault structures, signing thresholds, and approval hierarchies to match your organisation's risk policies.
• Compliance support. Built-in features help meet KYC/AML requirements.

Who are these pages for?

These guides are for developers, security architects, system administrators, and operations teams responsible for integrating, deploying, and managing io.vault and its components, including the Virtual Signer and io.network.

What these guides cover

• An overview of io.vault and its key concepts
• Technology concepts and deep dives into how io.vault works
• The supported blockchains and assets
• Installing and configuring a Virtual Signer
• Connecting to and using the io.vault API
• Creating and managing vaults
• Sending and receiving digital assets
• The io.vault disaster recovery process

Key concepts

• Vaults group digital asset addresses controlled by a signing party.
• Signing party is the collection of signers that control a vault.
• Key shares are portions of a private key distributed to each signer.
• Threshold is the minimum combined signing power required to authorise a transaction.
• Resharing modifies the signing party or threshold of a vault without changing its public key.

The io.vault product consists of a web dashboard for administration and a mobile app for signers to approve transactions.

Where to start

We recommend reading the Technology Concepts first to understand the underlying principles, then moving on to specific components like the Virtual Signer and io.network.