Ledger® Live Wallet – Getting Started™ Developer Portal

A developer-focused walkthrough for integrating, building, and launching with Ledger Live (Ledger Wallet) — step-by-step, secure, and colorful.

Why this guide?

If you're a developer, blockchain integrator, or product designer who wants to connect a dApp or a blockchain to Ledger Live (now rolling under the Ledger Wallet naming umbrella), this guide walks you through everything from concept to a testable integration. Expect practical steps, best practices, and pointers to official documentation and tools so you launch faster and safer.

Overview: Ledger Live & the Developer Portal

Ledger Live is the secure companion application for Ledger hardware—used to manage accounts, sign transactions, and interact with dApps. Ledger's Developer Portal centralizes documentation, SDKs, and integration guides so developers can build Wallet integrations, Device Apps, and Discover (Live Apps) experiences that respect users' private keys and hardware-level signatures.

What you can build

The Developer Portal supports multiple integration types:

  • Device Apps: Native applications running on Ledger devices (C/Rust).
  • Ledger Live Integrations: Add native account support for a blockchain, or embed a DeFi/NFT dApp in Ledger Live’s Discover section.
  • APIs & SDKs: Tools to interact with Ledger devices from your web or desktop app securely.

Terminology quick reference

Ledger signer

The hardware wallet (e.g., Nano models) that approves and cryptographically signs transactions. Calls to the signer must be explicit, user-approved, and reproducible for security audits.

Live App / Discover

Web or native apps surfaced inside Ledger Live’s Discover tab. These require careful onboarding to ensure users know where the app runs and how signature flows behave.

Step 1 — Set up your environment

Start by cloning the Ledger Live repo and reading the official getting-started docs for Device Apps and Ledger Live integrations. The repo and docs include build scripts, emulator tools, and test suites so you can iterate locally.

Developer mode & local testing

Enable developer mode inside Ledger Live (or the development build) to allow local integrations and experimental features. This unlocks debugging logs, emulator hooks, and a sandboxed Discover environment.

Step 2 — Decide your integration type

Each route has different security and UX implications:

Device App

Write C/Rust code to live on the device: small footprint, high assurance, reviewed by Ledger for official inclusion.

Ledger Live Integration

Add your blockchain's account derivation and display logic to Ledger Live so users can manage native accounts using their hardware signer.

Discover / Live App

Ship a web-native dApp that interacts with Ledger Live through approved SDKs. Ideal for DeFi flows, NFTs, and service discovery.

Step 3 — Build securely: best practices

Security is the non-negotiable foundation of every Ledger integration. Follow these core rules:

  • Never request a user’s recovery phrase. Ledger devices and Ledger Live never ask for it during normal flows.
  • Use the official SDKs and transport layers; don’t invent custom signing channels.
  • Make signature requests explicit and human-readable: show amounts, recipients, and purpose.
  • Limit privileges: request only the data and capabilities you need.
  • Audit and test on hardware devices (use the emulator for early debugging, but always validate on physical devices before release).

Human-first signing UX

Transactions should be presented in a clear, stepwise UI. If an advanced operation is happening (smart contract call, batch transfer), give the user a digestible summary and an option to view details on the device.

Step 4 — Test, test, test

Use emulators, CI tests, and a small group of beta testers. Test vectors should include edge-case values, unusual gas limits, and regressions (e.g., handling chain reorgs, subdivided signatures).

Sample testing checklist

  • Device firmware compatibility across supported models.
  • Account import and restore behavior (BIP44/BIP32 derivations).
  • Signature validation and nonce handling.
  • UX on small screens (some Ledger devices have smaller displays).
  • Resilience to interrupted sessions (device unplugged mid-sign).

Step 5 — Submit & publish

Follow the Developer Portal submission guide for app review. Ledger’s review process focuses on security, determinism (same inputs produce the same outputs), and good UX. Provide test cases, reproducible build steps, and a changelog to accelerate review.

Compliance & expectations

Document how your integration handles keys and signing, list third-party dependencies, and include a clear rollback plan in case vulnerabilities are found after release.

Advanced topics

Integrating a new blockchain

For blockchains not supported natively, you can add account-level integration into Ledger Live — handling address discovery, syncing, and balance discovery while using the device as the signer.

Plugin & contract-aware signing

For ecosystems like Ethereum, plugin approaches allow parsing complex calldata and presenting human-readable fields on-device. This increases safety for smart-contract interactions by avoiding blind signing.

Automated CI & reproducible builds

Ensure reproducible builds by pinning toolchains and using containerized CI. Ledger’s maintainers and reviewers appreciate when builds can be reproduced identically on demand.

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

Asking for seed phrases

Never do this. If your workflow ever asks a user for seed words — treat it as a critical UX and security bug. Encourage users to report suspicious prompts immediately.

Overly-permissive permissions

Requesting more access than needed increases attack surface and reduces users’ trust. Keep permission scopes narrow and transparent.

Insufficient device testing

Emulators are great for early cycles — but hardware realities (timing, screen rendering) can introduce behavior differences. Always test final flows on real devices before submitting.

Launch checklist

  • All unit and integration tests pass on CI.
  • Documentation and user guides are complete.
  • Security audit (internal or external) completed.
  • Support channels prepared (FAQ, issue tracker links, contact email).
  • Release notes and migration steps for existing users included.

Resources & where to learn more

A few of the most helpful starting points:

Final words

Building with Ledger means building with the user's security top of mind. Use official tooling, follow deterministic build and review processes, and keep the UX crystal clear. If you prioritize clarity and minimal privileges, your integration will be safer and easier to adopt — and that’s what users and reviewers want.