Dev

Hardware Wallet Developer Portal — Getting Started

An independent developer guide for integrating hardware wallet support, secure transaction signing, and user-friendly recovery flows. This is not official vendor documentation.

Independent guide — not official

Overview & Intent

This guide explains core concepts for building wallet integrations with hardware devices: device initialization, secure key isolation, transaction signing, recovery seed handling, and UX patterns for developer portals. It’s tailored to developers building Ledger-compatible or other hardware wallet integrations but is intentionally independent and vendor-agnostic.

Secure Wallet Integration

Key concepts (quick)

Key isolation: Keep private keys inside the device. Your app should never export or store private keys. Keywords: private key, secure key storage.
Deterministic backups: Use standard recovery seed formats (BIP-39/BIP-44) so users can restore if a device is lost. Keywords: seed backup, recovery phrase.
On-device signing: Send unsigned transactions to the device for user-confirmed on-screen signing. Keywords: transaction signing, hardware signing.
Firmware & attestation: Verify device firmware and authenticity when possible using vendor-signed firmware checks. Keywords: firmware verification, device attestation.
Minimal privileges: Limit application permissions and avoid requesting unnecessary wallet operations. Keywords: secure integration, least privilege.

Developer quick start — integration steps

Install SDK / transport layer: Add the vendor SDK or an open transport (USB/WebUSB/BLE) wrapper. Test connectivity across desktop and mobile clients.
Implement discovery & pairing: Detect connected devices securely and show clear pairing UI. Confirm device model/firmware on-screen.
Initialize wallets: Support both "create new" (generate seed on device) and "restore" (enter seed) flows, ensuring the seed never leaves the device.
Sign flows: Design UX where the app prepares an unsigned transaction, device displays details, user approves, and signed tx is returned and broadcast.
Recovery testing: Provide tooling or documentation to allow users to test restoring their seed on a secondary device or simulator before moving large balances.

Code snippet — prepare unsigned transaction (example)

// Pseudocode: prepare unsigned transaction and request device to sign
const unsignedTx = wallet.prepareUnsignedTx({to, amount, fee});
const signed = await device.signTransaction(unsignedTx);
const txHash = await node.broadcast(signed.hex);
console.log('Broadcasted', txHash);

Security & UX best practices

Always show transaction details on the device for user verification.
Encourage users to record a physical backup and test recovery — never accept screenshots or cloud backups for seeds.
Offer progressive disclosure: start with simple flows and expose advanced features (passphrase, multisig) to experienced users.
Log minimal telemetry and never capture sensitive information (seed words, private keys, passphrases).

Developer FAQs (5)

1. Can I recover across different vendor devices?

Many wallets use BIP-39 seeds which are interoperable across BIP-39-compatible devices. Confirm the exact derivation and path compatibility before relying on cross-vendor recovery.

2. How should I handle firmware updates?

Notify users of firmware updates, but perform updates only through verified vendor channels. Provide clear warnings about risks and backup requirements before updating.

3. What permissions does my app need?

Limit permissions to what you need (device discovery, signing). Avoid requesting access to account exports or private data. Follow least-privilege principles.

4. How do I test signing flows safely?

Use testnets and small-value transactions; supply test vectors and simulators. Provide developer-mode instructions for safely testing without real funds.

5. What UX reduces user errors?

Show clear human-readable transaction details on-device, confirm addresses visually, use QR codes for address sharing, and offer undo/confirmation steps for sensitive actions.

Note: This is an independent developer guide — not an official vendor portal. For vendor-specific SDKs, API docs, and attestation endpoints, consult the manufacturer’s official developer documentation.