From Passwords to Keypairs: Understanding Solana Identity as a Web2 Developer

When I first started learning Solana, I thought a crypto wallet was basically a digital bank account that stored cryptocurrency. After spending the first week learning about wallets, keypairs, and blockchain identity, I realized that idea was completely wrong. A wallet does not actually store your crypto. Instead, it manages cryptographic keys that prove ownership on the blockchain. As a Web2 developer, the easiest way for me to understand Solana identity was to compare it to things I already kn