Practical overview
When it fits
Use KMS when a Tatum-powered application needs a self-hosted wallet-key store and a local transaction-signing workflow, rather than handling private keys or mnemonics in application requests.
Who it is for
- Teams building applications on Tatum that need a separate service to hold wallet credentials and sign transactions.
- Operators who can run and configure a self-hosted CLI or daemon and manage its encryption password.
Documented uses
- Generate or store wallet private keys and mnemonics in KMS.
- Refer to managed wallets in Tatum transaction requests using signature IDs instead of passing wallet credentials.
- Periodically retrieve pending transactions, sign them locally and broadcast them.
- Add a separate transaction-ID approval service as part of the documented four-eye signing setup.
Requirements & limits
Self-hosted CLI and daemon distributed through npm or Docker. Native operation is listed for macOS and Unix; Windows use is through Docker. The npm installation requires Node.js 18 or newer. The repository specifies the MIT license.
- KMS depends on Tatum for pending-transaction retrieval and transaction broadcast; signing is performed locally.
- The encrypted wallet file uses AES-GCM-256, and the password is supplied at daemon startup either directly or through VGS Vault, Azure Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager.
- The README lists up to 25,000 signature IDs per blockchain and Tatum API key; exceeding the limit stops transaction signing until the data is adjusted.
- The README lists 20 blockchain entries, including Ethereum with ERC-20 tokens, Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon and Celo.
- For ETH and CELO, the README calls for version 6.2.3 or newer because earlier versions depend on a gas-price service it says will stop working.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Install Tatum KMS with npm
Install the CLI and configure it with a Tatum API key and a supported wallet-password source.
Before you start
- Node.js 18 or newer
- A Tatum API key
- An encryption-password configuration: direct password, VGS, Azure Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager
Steps
Install the package globally with npm or Yarn.
Provide the required configuration through a .env file, environment variables or globally defined environment variables.
Use the configured CLI to display its help.
Expected outcome
The KMS CLI is installed and configured for command-line interaction.
Guide limitations
- This covers installation and configuration only, not storing wallets, authorizing transactions or running the signing daemon.
- Windows is supported only through Docker, not this native npm route.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 13 October 2026
- Original website title
- tatumio/tatum-kms · Official homepage title · retained in its source language

