Ledger® Live Wallet – Getting Started™ Developer Portal

Introduction — Why a Developer Portal for Ledger Live?

As digital asset experiences mature, security and user trust become the top priorities. Ledger has established an ecosystem around its hardware signers and the Ledger Wallet app (formerly Ledger Live) that lets developers build secure integrations — from Live Apps embedded directly into the wallet surface to server-side integrations that leverage the Wallet API. This guide walks you through the essentials: the tools, the workflows, the recommended patterns, and a checklist to ship integrations that users can trust.

What you'll learn

How Ledger exposes APIs and SDKs for wallet and Live App integrations.
Design patterns for secure signing flows and account discovery.
Developer setup: local testing, packages, and reference repos.
Submission and compliance best practices for publishing on the Developer Portal.

Getting Started — First Steps for Developers

Step 1: Visit the Developer Portal

Begin at the official Ledger Developer Portal. The portal centralizes docs, SDKs, examples, and submission guidelines so you can see the complete integration lifecycle from prototype to production.

Step 2: Choose your integration type

Ledger integrations typically fall into three buckets:

Live Apps — apps that run inside the Ledger Wallet experience and interact with the user's device via the Wallet API client.
Device Apps — low-level apps that run on the Ledger device OS, often submitted through the device app program.
Server / Service Integrations — back-end integrations using Ledger's wallet APIs to query accounts, prepare payloads, or create support tooling.

Step 3: Install reference projects

Ledger maintains public repositories and reference implementations. Clone and run the ledger-live monorepo and the wallet-api reference to understand idiomatic usage and test harnesses.

Local dev checklist

Install required Node.js version and dependencies from the monorepo.
Enable developer mode in Ledger Wallet if you need to test experimental features.
Use testnet assets and low-value accounts for signing flow validation.
Record clear steps for QA and reproducible tests for security reviewers.

Core Concepts

Wallet API client and Live Apps

Live Apps are web-native applications optimized for running inside the Ledger Wallet UI. Communication with the hardware signer is proxied via the Wallet API Client: this client standardizes the RPC-like interactions, account requests, and signing requests from the app to the user's Ledger signer. When designing Live Apps, assume that the user will inspect and confirm each signing request on their physical device — your UX should make those requests crystal clear and minimal.

Accounts, public keys, and derivation

Ledger's ecosystem exposes account discovery primitives: request account lists, fetch public keys, and prepare transaction payloads offline. Follow the canonical derivation and address formats for each chain to avoid user confusion and to ensure deterministic account indexing across sessions.

Designing Secure Signing Flows

Principles

Minimize displayed data: only ask the signer to confirm essential fields (recipient, amount, fee).
Human-readable confirmation: where possible show a short, human-friendly explanation of what is being signed.
Non-repudiation: include origin metadata in request payloads so the user can know which app requested the signature.

Recommended flow

Build the flow like this:

App requests account list and displays accounts to the user.
User selects account; app prepares a transaction payload locally.
Show a summary screen with all fields and a “Why we need this” note.
Send signing request to the Wallet API client.
On the device, the signer will display the core metadata for manual confirmation.

Testing & QA

Unit + Integration testing

Test signing flows using mocks for the Wallet API client and run integration tests with an instrumented test device or simulator when possible. Employ deterministic fixtures for wallet addresses and transaction payloads.

Security audits

For production-ready integrations, run a third-party audit focused on wallet flow correctness, key handling, and privilege boundaries. If your service stores metadata about a user’s accounts, treat that metadata with the same care you afford to identifying or sensitive information.

Submission & Publishing

Before submission

Complete documentation describing how your integration works and what assets it supports.
Provide installation instructions for the user (how to find the Live App in Ledger Wallet or how to connect a web app).
Supply clear support channels and a rollback plan if you need to remove the integration quickly.

Submission essentials

Follow the deliverables checklist in the Developer Portal: short intro, requirements, installation instructions, setup steps for web and installable apps, and where to see account balances and receive support. These items make the review process smooth and faster.

UX Patterns & Accessibility

Reduce cognitive load

Make fields short, avoid jargon, and show inline help for unfamiliar terms like “nonce” or “gas limit.” Let users preview payloads before they hit the physical device.

Accessibility

Design for keyboard navigation and screen readers. Live Apps should provide alt-text for any images and follow standard ARIA patterns where web controls interact with signing flows.

Common Integration Use Cases

Custodial on-boarding

Onboarding users who hold hardware signers requires clear education: explain why the seed phrase is never asked for, and provide an in-app checklist for device setup. Never prompt the user for their recovery phrase — that is always a red flag and a scam vector.

dApp wallet connectors

dApp connectors can utilize the Wallet API client to request account data and signatures. Provide users with explicit domain-scoped permissions and the ability to revoke access from the Ledger Wallet UI.

Portfolio & analytics tools

When building portfolio apps that only read public addresses, follow “read-only” patterns and make it clear that the app never receives private keys or seeds.

Troubleshooting & Security Alerts

Common issues

Device not detected: check cable, unlock device, enable developer mode (for experimental flows).
Signing request fails: inspect RPC payloads and confirm canonical serialization per chain rules.
App not visible in Ledger Wallet: verify manifest and compliance with submission rules.

Security advice for users (what to teach your users)

Never ask for their recovery phrase. Advise users to download Ledger Wallet only from official sources and warn them about impersonation attempts that ask for seed words or private keys. Keep users informed about ongoing threats and how to verify an official installation.

Tip: include a short, in-app “Security Primer” that explains why the seed phrase is never requested and how users can verify authentic Ledger software.

Reference Implementation Snippet

Here’s a minimal pseudo-flow showing account request and a signing call (conceptual — adapt to your SDK):


// 1. Request accounts
const accounts = await walletApi.requestAccounts({chain: 'ethereum'});

// 2. Prepare payload
const tx = prepareEthereumTx({to, value, gasLimit, data});

// 3. Request signature (user confirms on device)
const signature = await walletApi.signTransaction(accounts[0].path, tx);

// 4. Broadcast via your backend or directly to the network
await rpcProvider.sendRawTransaction(signature.serialized);

Publishing Checklist (Quick)

Complete integration docs and user-facing install guide.
Run security QA and include audit notes if available.
Provide contact/support details and a quick rollback plan.
Ensure tests pass in the reference monorepo and CI is green.
Submit to the Developer Portal per the published submission process.

Conclusion — ship with confidence

Building on Ledger’s platform lets you offer users tightly-integrated and secure crypto experiences. The Developer Portal and the public repositories provide a pragmatic, well-documented starting point. Follow the design and security guidance in this guide, maintain transparent documentation, and your integration will both delight users and meet Ledger’s security expectations.