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Identity Commands (modal id)

Create a New Identity​

# Create with default path
modal id create --path alice.passfile

# Create with password protection
modal id create --path alice.passfile --password

Derive Sub-Identity​

modal id derive --path alice.passfile --sub "escrow-key" --output alice-escrow.passfile

Derives a deterministic sub-key from your main identity. Useful for:

  • Contract-specific keys
  • Rotating access keys
  • Hierarchical key management

Get Public ID​

modal id get --path alice.passfile
# Output: ed25519:abc123...

Passfile Operations​

Encrypt a Passfile​

modal passfile encrypt --path alice.passfile --password

Decrypt a Passfile​

modal passfile decrypt --path alice.passfile.enc --password

Best Practices​

  1. Protect your passfiles — They contain your private keys
  2. Use password encryption for long-term storage
  3. Derive sub-keys for different contracts
  4. Back up your identity key — It represents your identity