Ledger® Live Wallet – Getting Started™ Developer Portal

Overview: What is Ledger Live for developers?

Ledger Live is the desktop/mobile application that allows users to manage their hardware wallets, accounts, and transactions securely. The Developer Portal provides tools, APIs, and UX patterns to build apps that interoperate with Ledger Live while maintaining hardware-backed security.

Why integrate with Ledger Live?

Integrating with Ledger Live allows third-party dApps and services to:

• Access hardware-backed signatures without exposing private keys.
• Provide a familiar on-device confirmation flow to users.
• Increase user trust by leveraging a secure, audited platform.

Who should read this?

This guide is aimed at frontend and backend developers building:

• Web dApps that request transaction signing.
• Wallet connectors and SDKs.
• Mobile integrations that want to hand off signing to Ledger Live.

Architecture: How Ledger Live fits into your stack

Integrations typically use one of two approaches:

1. Ledger Live as a signing gateway

In this model, your application constructs a transaction and asks Ledger Live (or the Ledger device via the user's machine) to sign it. The signed payload is then broadcast by your backend or client.

2. Ledger Live as user identity & account manager

Ledger Live can be used to provision accounts, show balances, and let users select which account to use for an action, while your service handles application-layer logic.

Common architecture diagram (conceptual)

// Browser/DApp <---> Ledger Live (app / bridge) <---> User's Ledger Device
//           \                                         /
//            \---> Backend API (optional) <----------/
        

Getting started — quick steps

1. Read the official Ledger Developer docs and terms (links at the end).
2. Decide whether your flow needs on-device confirmation or just account discovery.
3. Implement discovery using standard HD derivation paths (read official guidance).
4. Use safe transaction building patterns and ask users to confirm on-device.
5. Test thoroughly on hardware using testnets before mainnet deployment.

Example integration flow (web dApp)

A typical web flow:

1. App requests account discovery (user approves in Ledger Live).
2. App builds a transaction and sends it to Ledger Live for signing.
3. User confirms the transaction on the device.
4. Signed transaction is returned to the app and broadcast to the network.

Code examples

Below are *illustrative* examples showing common patterns: discovering accounts, building a transaction, and requesting a signature. These are simplified and meant to be adapted to your architecture.

1) Example: Requesting account discovery (pseudo-JS)

// PSEUDO-CODE (do not use in production without adapting)
async function requestAccounts() {
  // This represents a handoff to Ledger Live/Bridge
  const request = { type: "ledger_request", action: "discover_accounts", coin: "ethereum" };
  const response = await window.postMessage(request, "*"); // conceptual
  // response should include a list of accounts: [{path, address, index}, ...]
  return response.accounts;
}

2) Example: Build & sign (pseudo-JS)

// Build a tx object on the server or client
const tx = {
  to: "0x1234...abcd",
  value: "1000000000000000000", // wei
  gasLimit: "21000",
  gasPrice: "20000000000",
  nonce: 5,
  chainId: 1
};

// Request signature from Ledger Live
async function requestSign(tx, account) {
  const payload = { type: "ledger_request", action: "sign_transaction", tx, account };
  const signed = await window.postMessage(payload, "*"); // conceptual
  // signed.rawTx -> send to RPC
  return signed;
}

Notes on the code snippets

These examples are conceptual. The actual implementation depends on the Ledger Live connector you use (Ledger Bridge, Ledger Live SDK, or a partner SDK). Always prefer official SDKs and libraries for interoperability and security.

UX & Security — Principles every integration must follow

Security considerations

• Never request private keys or ask users to export sensitive material.
• Always have the user confirm critical data on the device: amount, recipient, and fees.
• Use well-known cryptographic libraries to construct transaction payloads.
• Prefer server-side signing orchestration only when users explicitly consent to custodial operations.

UX guidance

• Show human-readable translations of what will appear on the device screen.
• Explain derivation paths and account labels in-app before discovery.
• Provide clear error states when the device is disconnected or firmware is out-of-date.
• Offer a “preview on device” step: let the user see exactly what will be signed.

Accessibility

Always follow WCAG color contrast guidance. The color palette in this doc uses high contrast for headings and callouts; ensure any UI you ship is equally accessible.

Testing & QA

Testnets and device emulators

Use testnets (Ropsten, Goerli, etc.) where possible and hardware emulators to automate flows. Manually test on an actual Ledger device before going to production.

CI/CD tips

• Run integration tests that assert the app properly handles signature errors, user cancellations, and timeout cases.
• Keep test firmware versions documented in your test matrix.

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

1. Incorrect transaction encoding

Use canonical serialization and official libraries to encode transactions. Mistakes here often lead to rejected signatures or invalid broadcasts.

2. Mismatched chain IDs or gas calculations

Validate chain IDs and include sufficient gas estimates; show the estimate to users before requesting on-device confirmation.

3. UX friction: unclear labels

Label accounts clearly. If you support multiple derivation paths, show them and provide helpful guidance.

Release, audits & maintenance

When launching, conduct a security review and consider an external audit for cryptographic code. Maintain a changelog for firmware and dependency updates because Ledger devices and libraries evolve.

Versioning

Use semantic versioning for your integration SDK and test against the minimum supported firmware versions you declare.

Troubleshooting

Device not detected

Check USB permissions, Bluetooth pairing (mobile), and firmware version. Provide explicit troubleshooting steps and link to the official support pages.

Signature rejected

Re-check the serialized transaction and ensure wallet and chain IDs match. Ask the user to confirm the values displayed on the device.

Legal & compliance

You are responsible for ensuring your integration complies with the laws in your jurisdiction. Consult legal counsel for KYC/AML and other regulatory concerns. Ledger’s official resources include acceptable use and developer terms — read them before integrating.

Helpful patterns & snippets

Retry pattern for device confirmation

async function waitForSignature(requestFunc, retries = 3) {
  for (let i=0;i<retries;i++){
    try {
      const result = await requestFunc();
      if (result.signed) return result;
    } catch (err) {
      console.warn("Attempt", i+1, "failed:", err.message);
      if (i === retries - 1) throw err;
      await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1000 * (i+1)));
    }
  }
}

Display confirmation steps to users

// UX suggestion, not implementation
- Step 1: Select account (show derivation path)
- Step 2: Review transaction details in-app
- Step 3: Confirm on Ledger device
- Step 4: Await signed tx and show progress

Conclusion

Building integrations with Ledger Live opens the door to highly secure, user-trusted signing flows. Follow the official developer guidance, keep security and UX front-and-center, and test thoroughly on hardware before deploying.