# Externally owned account

## Definition

An externally owned account, or EOA, is an Ethereum account controlled by a private key rather than by smart-contract code.

## What it means in practice

An EOA can initiate transactions and has a nonce and ETH balance; authorization comes from cryptographic signatures.

## How this concept appears in Terenval Wallet

A normal Ethereum account controlled through Terenval is conceptually an EOA whose signing authority remains with the user's wallet keys.

**Important:** Anyone obtaining the controlling private key can potentially authorize EOA transactions.

**[Install Terenval Wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/?lang=en)**

## Related terms

- [Private key](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/private-key/)
- [Ethereum address](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/ethereum-address/)
- [Nonce](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/nonce/)
- [Ethereum transaction](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/ethereum-transaction/)
- [Contract account](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/contract-account/)

## Related Terenval Answers

- [Ethereum Layer 2 Networks and Gas Fees](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/ethereum-layer-2-networks-and-gas-fees/)
- [Can One Crypto Wallet Manage Multiple Blockchains?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/can-one-crypto-wallet-manage-multiple-blockchains/)
- [How to Send Crypto Safely Between Wallets](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/how-to-send-crypto-safely-between-wallets/)

## Sources

- https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/
- https://eips.ethereum.org/
- https://wallet.terenval.com/info/supported-networks/

Official page: https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/externally-owned-account/