A Cere account has a public address and a private key. Think of the public address as a mailbox and the private key as the key to that mailbox. Anyone can put tokens in your mailbox, but only the key holder can use them. Keep your private key secret.
A valid Cere account needs a private key. Some Cere accounts don't have keys, like multi-signature accounts, but they're for advanced users.
Most wallets use a mnemonic phrase to backup and create a private key. However, the way a wallet turns a mnemonic into a private key can vary. Different wallets might give different addresses from the same mnemonic.
Polkadot{.js} wallets use the BIP39 dictionary for mnemonics but have a unique way to create the private key. This means the same mnemonic can give different keys in different wallets. For details, see the Substrate BIP39 Repo.
Example from Polkadot{.js} Wallet:
Mnemonic Phrase:
bob rat atom organ...
Private/Public Keypair:
Secret seed (Private key): 0x056a...
Public key (SS58): 5F3sa...
For guidance on making Cere accounts, see the Account Generation Page.
Cere accounts have different balance types based on their activity. These types show if your balance can be transferred, used for fees, or must stay untouched due to rules.
When an account is created, a unique key is generated for access. To establish its presence on-chain, a deposit of 1 CERE is needed. If the account's balance falls below this deposit, it's removed from the blockchain to save space, erasing any funds. However, using the private key or recovery phrase, the address can be reused after depositing again.
Transaction fees won't cause account removal. Accounts with just the deposit amount can't transact unless they have extra funds for fees.
Think of this like junk files on computers. They might be deleted to save space, but the folder can be recreated when needed. Similarly, an address is removed from the chain when empty but can be restored with a deposit.
Cere has an Identities pallet allowing users to add metadata to their accounts, which can be verified by registrars for trust. For more on identity settings, sub-accounts, or becoming a registrar, see this guide.
These accounts are formed by merging standard accounts, proxies, and other multi-sig accounts. For more, see the Multi-signature accounts page.