Trust Ledger® Live Wallet – Getting Started | Developer Portal

H2 — Quick overview: What is Ledger Live and why developers should care

Ledger Live is the official desktop and mobile companion to Ledger hardware devices. It’s an all-in-one wallet that enables users to manage accounts, install apps on their devices, sign transactions and access a wide ecosystem of integrations. For developers, Ledger Live and the Ledger Developer Portal provide APIs, SDKs, and submission paths that make it possible to create Live Apps, device-native apps, and integrations that reach millions of Ledger users while keeping users’ private keys safe inside secure hardware.

H3 — Key components developers interact with

At a glance, developers commonly use:

• Ledger Device Apps — native apps built in C/Rust for Ledger devices to support custom coin logic or transaction signing.
• Live Apps — web-like experiences that run within Ledger Live using the Wallet API Client to interact with a user’s signed transactions.
• Wallet API Client — library and protocol used by Live Apps to communicate securely with Ledger devices and Ledger Live.
• Ledger SDKs & Repos — source code and examples in the LedgerHQ GitHub organization for practical reference.

H3 — Getting started as a developer (practical steps)

Follow these practical steps to start building integrations that work with Ledger Live and Ledger devices:

1. Visit the Ledger Developer Portal and read the platform overview.
2. Decide your integration type: device app (C/Rust), Live App (web), or a third-party backend integration using Ledger Enterprise APIs.
3. Clone and study the relevant GitHub repositories such as ledger-live and wallet-api to see concrete examples.
4. Set up a development environment, emulate devices where possible, and test signing workflows thoroughly.
5. Submit apps for review following the Developer Portal deliverables and submission process.

H4 — Tips for a smooth submission

When preparing a submission to the Ledger app catalog or Live Apps directory, provide clear documentation, installation instructions, manifest files, and test vectors. The Developer Portal’s submission pages outline the required deliverables (short intro, setup, installation, testing) and the expected security considerations.

H3 — UX & Clear Signing

Ledger promotes Clear Signing: make transaction fields human-readable and unambiguous. For payments, show recipient addresses, amounts with decimals and currency labels, and any fee information. This reduces user error and improves approval rates on-device.

H5 — Example: a minimal transaction presentation

{
  "recipient": "0xAB...01",
  "amount": "0.5234 ETH",
  "fee": "0.0021 ETH",
  "note": "Invoice #1234"
}

H2 — Building Live Apps: architecture & API

Live Apps run in a constrained web environment inside Ledger Live. They use the Wallet API Client (or Ledger’s JS libraries) to request signing operations. The architecture separates the app UI from signing and account management to preserve security boundaries.

H3 — Common pitfalls to avoid

• Exposing or logging private keys or seed phrases.
• Requesting users to copy/paste secret phrases — this is always a red flag.
• Poorly formatted transaction details that confuse users on-device.

H4 — Developer tools & emulation

Ledger’s repos include emulators, test harnesses and CI guidance. Use those tools to automate tests and validate your app across firmware versions.

H2 — Testing, QA, and release

Quality assurance is critical. Include unit tests for transaction construction, integration tests that exercise signing flows, and manual end-to-end tests on real hardware devices. Maintain clear changelogs and compatibility notes for firmware updates and OS-level changes.

H3 — Release checklist

1. Documentation & usage examples
2. Security considerations and threat model summary
3. Compatibility matrix (device models, firmware versions)
4. Automated tests and manual verification steps
5. Support contact details

H2 — Post-release: support, analytics, and feedback

Monitor issues via your GitHub repo, respond to user reports, and keep an eye on security advisories. Encourage users to download Ledger Live only from official sources (ledger.com, app stores) — link those pages in your documentation to reduce phishing risks.

H3 — Helpful official resources (quick list)

• Ledger Developer Portal — APIs, SDKs and submission process.
• Device App Getting Started — building C/Rust apps for devices.
• Wallet API Client docs — how Live Apps connect to Ledger Wallet.
• Ledger Live repo — example code and build instructions.
• Support & start guides — official user-facing onboarding.