A custody setup that keeps signing secrets away from internet-connected systems.
Cold storage is best understood as part of a system rather than as an isolated definition. Its related coordinates show the mechanisms, incentives and historical records that give the term practical meaning.
Cold storage should be evaluated against a concrete threat model: what is protected, from whom, for how long and at what operational cost. A design may remove one dependency while introducing another, so custody, privacy and verification must be judged as a complete system.
Understanding Cold storage helps distinguish a verifiable Bitcoin mechanism or historical record from slogans, products and market narratives.
For the clearest picture, read this entry together with Hardware wallet, Self-custody. The reverse links also lead from Hardware wallet, Watch-only wallet, PSBT, Self-custody.
Linked to related atlas coordinates
Grounded in a source record
Explains function and trade-offs
Part of the open Bitcoin knowledge graph