Overview — What is Trezor Suite Developer Portal?
Developers use the Trezor Suite Developer Portal to integrate hardware-wallet-backed signing and secure key storage into applications and services. The Portal centralizes documentation, API keys, OAuth flows, SDK downloads, and test sandboxes so teams can iterate quickly while preserving user security. This guide is written to walk you from zero to production-ready: setup, basic API calls, advanced flows, and operational considerations.
Who this guide is for
This guide targets software engineers, devops, security engineers, and product managers building crypto-native applications — wallets, exchanges, custody solutions, DAOs, or authentication systems — that require hardware-backed cryptographic operations. It assumes familiarity with REST and WebSocket APIs, basic cryptography concepts (keys, signatures), and general web development.
Assumptions and prerequisites
- Node.js or other backend language runtime, familiarity with npm or similar package managers.
- Understanding of HTTPS, TLS, and certificate management.
- A Trezor hardware device for integration and manual testing (recommended but optional for sandbox).
Getting started: account, keys, and environment
Start by creating a developer account in the Portal, register your application, and generate an API client. Use descriptive names and separate environments: development, staging, and production. Treat API keys like secrets—rotate them periodically and store them in a secrets manager.
Step-by-step onboarding
1. Create your developer account
Sign up with the email for your team, enable two-factor authentication, and verify the account. Organization-level settings allow team members to access shared keys while preserving least-privilege roles.
2. Register an application
Register your app in the Portal, set redirect URIs if using OAuth, and record the client ID and client secret. For browser-based integrations prefer OAuth with PKCE to avoid exposing long-lived client secrets.
3. Create API keys and set scopes
Generate separate keys for read-only vs. signing operations. Limit each key’s scope and lifetime. For example, an integration that only displays account balances should not have signing scope enabled.
API essentials & authentication
The Portal exposes multiple API surfaces: REST endpoints for account and metadata, a signing endpoint for producing hardware-backed signatures, WebSocket streams for real-time events, and SDKs for JavaScript, Python, and Go.
Authentication patterns
OAuth 2.0 (recommended for user-facing apps)
Use OAuth 2.0 with PKCE for public clients (SPAs and mobile). For server-side flows, use the authorization code grant with client secrets stored securely on the server. Always validate redirect URIs on the server side and implement state nonce checks to prevent CSRF.
API Key usage (machine-to-machine)
Use short-lived API keys or tokens and rotate them through automated pipelines. Store keys in vaults like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault. If you must embed a key in an environment, restrict network origin and use firewall rules.
Example: Signing flow (high level)
// 1. Client requests a signing challenge from your backend (server creates a sign request)
POST /api/v1/create-sign-request { "accountId": "abc123", "txPayload": { ... } }
// 2. Backend calls Trezor Suite signing endpoint with signed API credentials
POST https://api.trezor.example/v1/sign { "request": { ... }, "callbackUrl": "https://yourapp.example/callback" }
// 3. User confirms the signature on their hardware device; Trezor Suite returns signature to your callback.
// 4. Backend validates signature and broadcasts transaction or stores proof.
Developer workflow & examples
Below are high-level workflow examples and code snippets to glue your front-end and back-end to the Portal services.
Local development (recommended)
- Use the Portal’s sandbox keys and testnet endpoints.
- Wrap calls with retry and idempotency keys to handle network failures.
- Use a separate browser profile when testing OAuth/PKCE flows to avoid cached tokens interfering with tests.
Example: Node.js quickstart (pseudo)
const fetch = require('node-fetch');
async function createSignRequest(apiKey, payload){
const res = await fetch('https://sandbox.api.trezor.example/v1/sign',{
method:'POST',
headers:{ 'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`, 'Content-Type':'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({request: payload})
});
return res.json();
}
Notes on SDKs
Prefer official SDKs when available — they implement low-level security checks, signature verification helpers, and upgrade safely. If you implement your own client, follow the Portal’s API spec exactly and include tests that simulate malformed responses.
Security best practices
Security is the core value proposition of hardware-backed signing. Your integration should avoid anti-patterns that can expose users to risk.
Key recommendations
Never store private keys in plaintext
Private keys should remain on the hardware device (Trezor). Only store public keys, transaction metadata, and signatures server-side.
Use hardware confirmations for high-value actions
Require a physical confirmation on the Trezor device for any operation above a threshold (e.g., > $1000). This protects users even if the host machine is compromised.
Implement strict rate limiting and anomaly detection
Monitor for unusual signing volumes, sudden API key usage from new IPs, or rapid increase in failed attempts. Block and alert when anomalies are detected.
Design & UX guidance
Good UX reduces user errors and improves security. Think about the user’s mental model: the Trezor device is the authority that signs actions — keep prompts simple and informative.
Labeling and context
When requesting a signature, surface clear labels: which account, amount, recipient, and a short human-readable description. Avoid truncating crucial details.
Progress & error handling
Show clear progress states: "Waiting for device confirmation", "Signature received", "Signature denied". Offer guidance when users reject a transaction — log the event and provide a friendly message on next steps.
Testing, CI/CD, and sandboxing
Reliable testing is critical. Use the Portal’s sandbox and testnets to run end-to-end tests without risking funds.
Automated tests
Write unit tests for all helpers that parse and validate signatures. Create integration tests that use a CI job to call sandbox endpoints. Mark tests that require physical devices and run them only in gated manual pipelines or hardware-equipped runners.
Fuzz and negative testing
Send malformed payloads, truncated signatures, and invalid nonces to ensure your validation rejects them correctly. Maintain a corpus of known bad inputs and run them periodically.
Release checklist & monitoring
Before releasing, run through a checklist that covers security, compliance, UX, and operations.
Pre-release checklist
- Secrets rotated and stored in vaults
- Rate limits and quotas defined
- Monitoring alerts for signing anomalies configured
- Fallback and retry logic validated
- Legal & compliance review completed for regulated markets
Production monitoring
Instrument metrics for latency, error rates, successful signatures, and volume per API key. Use alerts to notify on unusual failure rates or latency spikes.
Conclusion & next steps
Integrating the Trezor Suite Developer Portal lets you add a strong hardware-backed trust anchor to your product. Start in sandbox, follow security-first patterns, and iterate with small user groups before wider roll-out. Below are practical resources and colorful quick links to get you moving fast.
Resources & quick access
Closing note
Ship small, test early, and keep the user in control of keys. Hardware-backed signing transforms the trust model — but only if your integration respects security boundaries and the user’s expectations.