INTRODUCING An Easy, Open Source Steem Account Creator
Overview
As I was working on SteemEngine this past week, I came across the need for a few more accounts. Unfortunately I only own one phone number and am extremely impatient, so signing up the old fashion way was out of the question. After a little research I found I had a few options:
- Ask my brother for his phone number.
- Use AnonSteem.
- Investigate the code and do it myself.
Being realistic, I immediately skipped option one and moved on to option two.
Upon investigation, AnonSteem seemed a little weird to me. Why did I have to pay for Steem Accounts? Looking harder into the matter of making an account, I learned that a fee is paid as part of every account created on Steemit. So, AnonSteem was able to make accounts on the blockchain, but had to take on this fee. However, the 10 STEEM fee seemed a little high. After further investigation, I confirmed my doubts. The MINIMUM fee is 6 Steem. Thus, I decided to move on to option three.
Option three looked challenging at first; the undocumented blockchain API was scary. However, after some help by @good-karma, @sarasate, and a few others I got it all figured out. I have come to believe this is THE best way to create new/secondary accounts. Since I needed some practice with the API and I know that many of my followers are not comfortable with coding, I made a nice little tool to allow ANYONE to create another Steem Account BY THEMSELVES. The following are three advantages to using the tool I have created.
Advantage 1: Cheap
Not only do you get a nice 40% discount from AnonSteem, you DON'T lose any of your hard earned STEEM. You heard me correct. You DO NOT lose any of your STEEM. The STEEM you use to "pay" for the account is converted into SP for the new account. So, you are essentially purchasing an account with a 40% discount and a 100% rebate. IMHO, that's not too bad.
Advantage 2: Secure - Open Source
This is THE most secure method for creating a new account.
- Your password is NEVER broadcasted and NEVER leaves your computer. The password is randomly generated via the SteemJS and then used to generate your Wallet Keys. Thus, your password is in your hands ALL THE TIME.
- Your Active WIF, used to create the account is never stored. The WIF is used once to send the create_account API call and that's it.
- All my code is open source. This in itself is a huge deal for security:
a) You can look through my code and check everything for yourself. There are no secrets, no scams, and no additional fee's, but hey, if you don't believe me I encourage you to a) look through it yourself or b) message me (cryptorob) on the discord. I am happy to walk through every line of code with you :)
b) You can choose to download the files and run them on your own machine locally.
Advantage 3: Convenient
Being able to create accounts yourself can be very convenient.
- You don't have to trust a third party to create your account.
- You don't have to wait for money to transfer to the third party.
- You don't have to risk losing all your STEEM over a typo in the transaction memo.
- You don't have to deal with the middleman (a very common theme for blockchain technology).
Essentially, this tool allows you to make a Steemit account on your own time... at work or on the toilet, whenever and wherever you desire!
How It Works
What you'll need:
- Your active Wif
- Your username
- 6 STEEM
- An idea for an account name
- An Account Creator Client
a) I am hosting the tool here.
b) I made the code available here
The process itself is very straight forward. You simply fill out the form (and the form validates as you type). After you hit submit, you will see either a failure or success message. If successful, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD SOMEWHERE! If you don't you will lose your account forever.
Conclusion
This is by no means an attack on AnonSteem. Instead my goal was to create a tool that gave normal, non-techy, non-coding members of the Steemit community the ability to aquire an extra Steemit account for the cheapest price. I in no way benefit from this product and certainly do not profit from it. I hope someone may find this of use... I certainly did :)
Happy Saturday and happy Holiday weekend to my fellow Yankees!
If you found this useful or interesting, please consider resteeming this post or tossing me a follow. This is only a small building block in my Steem project, so if you think this is cool, just you wait :). Also, if you find any errors, have any suggestions,
or simply want to say hello, please drop a comment below or HMU on the discord (cryptorob). Cheers!
