Ledger® Live Wallet – Getting Started™ Developer Portal

Table of contents

Why Ledger Live & Developer Portal

Ledger Live is a secure, native wallet experience providing users a way to manage private keys inside a hardware-secure element. The Developer Portal exposes APIs, SDKs, and guidelines so third-party developers can safely integrate Ledger support into web apps, services, and infrastructure.

Prerequisites

Accounts & Hardware

You will need a Ledger device (e.g., Ledger Nano S Plus, Nano X) and the Ledger Live desktop application installed. Ensure you have the latest firmware and a recovery phrase backed up.

Developer tools

• Node.js (current LTS)
• Yarn or npm
• Web browser with WebUSB or U2F support
• Editor (VS Code recommended)

Initial setup (step-by-step)

Step 1 — Create developer account

Register on the Developer Portal to obtain API keys, documentation access, and the sandbox. Keep keys secure — treat them like secrets. Many portals provide client credentials for sandbox vs. production environments.

Step 2 — Install Ledger Live

Download Ledger Live from official sources and follow device onboarding. Confirm firmware is on the latest release — this resolves many compatibility issues.

Step 3 — Local environment

// install example
npm init -y
npm install @ledgerhq/hw-transport-webusb @ledgerhq/hw-app-eth

Integrating with Ledger Live

This section shows a minimal example to connect to a Ledger device via WebUSB and request an Ethereum address. The snippet uses Ledger's official JavaScript libraries.

Example: Connect & read address

import TransportWebUSB from "@ledgerhq/hw-transport-webusb";
import AppEth from "@ledgerhq/hw-app-eth";

async function getAddress(){
  const transport = await TransportWebUSB.create();
  const eth = new AppEth(transport);
  const result = await eth.getAddress("44'/60'/0'/0/0");
  console.log(result.address);
  await transport.close();
}

getAddress().catch(console.error);

Notes

Always close transports when finished. Respect browser permission dialogs and explain clearly to users why you request device access.

Security best practices

Protect secrets

Never transmit recovery phrases, private keys, or seed material. Use the device for signing and keep any server components stateless with respect to critical secrets.

Threat modeling

Design interactions assuming adversarial browsers. Consider device-validated UI flows and on-device confirmations for sensitive operations.

Debugging & Testing

Use sandbox environments and test accounts to exercise edge cases. Ledger tools provide verbose logging and developer-mode toggles for non-production testing.

Common issues

1. Device not recognized — check cable, USB port, and browser permission (try Chrome/Edge).
2. Library version mismatch — lock deps and test on multiple versions.
3. Firmware mismatch — prompt users to update and provide link to firmware notes.

Deployment checklist

• Review security guidance from the Portal
• Use HTTPS with HSTS
• Rotate keys between staging and production
• Implement rate limiting and observability

Additional resources

Official SDKs, API references, and community examples accelerate onboarding. Bookmark the Developer Portal and the SDK repos for the latest samples.

FAQs

Can I sign transactions from a backend?

Ledger devices are designed to sign on-device. Backends can compose unsigned transactions but signing should happen client-side or on a device that you control securely.

What about mobile?

Ledger supports mobile workflows using Ledger Live Mobile and Bluetooth (for supported devices). Mobile integration often requires additional pairing steps and UX adjustments.

Conclusion

Integrating with the Ledger Live Developer Portal unlocks powerful hardware-backed security for your app. Follow the steps above, prioritize user safety, and keep dependencies up to date. Use the sample snippets and checklist as a living reference as your integration matures.