Trezor Suite® – Getting Started™ Developer Portal

Welcome! This guide is for developers — whether you're building a third-party wallet, merchant integration, exchange support, or exploring experimental tools that interface with Trezor hardware. It covers the architecture, the essential developer resources, best practices for security, and a sample integration flow so you can ship quickly and safely.

Quick fact: Trezor Suite is the official desktop and web application for managing Trezor hardware wallets, and Trezor publishes developer documentation and firmware sources to help integrators build with the platform. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Why build on Trezor Suite

Trezor is a mature hardware wallet ecosystem with a committed user base and strong emphasis on security and open-source development. For developers, integrating with Trezor Suite provides:

• Direct access to a widely-used hardware wallet UX and secure signing flows.
• Open documentation and a public firmware & tools repository for auditing and contributions. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
• Official support channels and a developer/partner portal for coin integrations, SDKs, and tools. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Core architecture & components

Trezor Suite app

Trezor Suite is the user-facing application (desktop + web + mobile companion apps) that orchestrates wallet setup, transaction creation, and communication with the Trezor device. It handles coin-specific logic, account indexing, portfolio view, and network calls when needed. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Firmware & device agent

The firmware that runs on Trezor devices exposes a well-defined set of commands (APDUs / wire-protocol messages) for key derivation, signing, and device management. The firmware project and the related monorepo are publicly available so developers can study or contribute. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Docs, SDKs and companion APIs

Official docs provide integration guidance for Suite developers and third-party wallets. If your integration needs coin metadata or specific network utilities, be sure to consult the Trezor docs and the developer pages. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Getting the developer environment running

1. Clone the repositories

Start by cloning the Trezor monorepos (firmware and Suite packages) from the official GitHub organization. That gives you the reference implementations, tests, and packaging scripts. For many experiments you can run Suite in development mode and point it at a locally-built or test firmware. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Sample commands

// Example (bash) — adjust to the actual repo names and branches
git clone https://github.com/trezor/trezor-suite.git
git clone https://github.com/trezor/trezor-firmware.git
cd trezor-suite
npm install
npm run dev
      

2. Connect a test device

Use a dedicated test device or emulator. If you have a hardware model (Model T, Model One, or Safe series), make sure it's set up for development — don't use your main funds on experiment devices. Consult the official start and setup guides for safe device preparation. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Emulator options

The Trezor firmware project includes an emulator that mirrors many device behaviors and is useful for automated testing. Combining emulator runs with Suite in dev mode speeds up iteration.

3. Environment & signing keys

Manage your developer keys securely. Never check mnemonic seeds into source control. Use environment variables or secure key vaults for any CI secrets. When creating automated tests for signing flows, use ephemeral test accounts.

Integration examples & patterns

Third-party wallet

If you're building a wallet that wants to support Trezor devices:

• Implement the transport layer (USB / WebUSB / Bridge) to talk with the device.
• Use the standard Trezor wire protocol to request public keys, construct transactions client-side, and send signing requests to the device.
• Follow UX patterns: show the exact transaction details on the host app, then present the device confirmation step clearly. Users trust hardware wallets because they confirm on-device — preserve that mental model.

Merchant & exchange integrations

For exchanges or merchant integrations that rely on Trezor for custody or signing:

• Consider HSMs or multi-sig architectures combined with Trezor as a signer for specific flows.
• Ensure operational policies (key rotation, device provisioning, tamper checking) are documented and audited.

Security, testing, and release checklist

Secure coding & threat model

Begin every integration with a concise threat model: where can attackers intercept messages, inject UI, or steal keys? Treat the Trezor device as the cryptographic root; minimize trust in remote servers or client-side code.

Automated tests

Build test suites that run against the emulator and, when feasible, a pool of test devices. Tests should cover:

1. Key derivation and address generation
2. Transaction construction and signing
3. Failure modes: incorrect path, corrupted data, timeouts

Manual audits & code review

Have independent security reviews for any module that processes private keys or constructs low-level signing requests. Trezor's public repos help by making reference behavior auditable. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Pre-release checklist (short)

• CI green for unit & integration tests
• Emulator tests passed
• UX checks for device confirmation screens
• Documentation updated — especially upgrade/migration steps

Sample integration flow (end-to-end)

Below is a condensed sequence showing how a host app typically interacts with a Trezor device during a simple send flow:

1. Host app connects to Trezor via WebUSB / Bridge.
2. Host requests an extended public key / address for a given derivation path.
3. Host builds a raw transaction and asks the user to confirm details on the host UI.
4. Host sends a signing request to the device.
5. User verifies the transaction details on the device screen and accepts.
6. Device returns the signature(s). Host assembles the final transaction and broadcasts to the network.

// Pseudocode: simplified signing sequence
const device = await connectToTrezor();
const xpub = await device.getPublicKey("m/84'/0'/0'");
const tx = buildTransaction(inputs, outputs);
const signature = await device.signTransaction(tx);
broadcast(assemble(tx, signature));
      

Best practices & developer tips

UX: show what the device will show

Mirror the on-device human-readable content in your app (amount, fee, destination) so users can match what they see on device to what they clicked in the host app.

Versioning & compatibility

Track firmware version compatibility and provide graceful fallbacks or clear upgrade prompts. When using new features (new coins, taproot-like upgrades), gate them behind version checks.

Privacy considerations

Avoid leaking derivation paths, full account balances, or transaction graphs to third parties unnecessarily. Use on-device confirmation whenever any privacy-sensitive detail is at stake.

Resources & official links

Below are primary, official resources you should bookmark while developing with Trezor Suite. These come directly from Trezor's official site and GitHub organization.

(Those are 10 official entry points to Trezor's ecosystem — docs, code, support, downloads, and developer pages.)

Note: Always link to the official trezor.io domains and the verified GitHub organization when referencing authoritative resources and when instructing users to download software. This reduces the risk of supply-chain or phishing attacks. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Conclusion

Building with Trezor Suite means aligning with a security-first, open-source ecosystem. Use the official docs and GitHub repos as your primary sources of truth, rely on emulators & test devices for automation, and keep your threat model front and center as you design signing flows.

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