Trezor Suite® – Getting Started™ (Developer Add-On)

Getting started — developer quickstart

Trezor Suite® provides a secure hardware root of trust for keys and signing operations. This developer add-on focuses on the minimal, practical steps you should follow to integrate Trezor into web and server applications while preserving user security and operational reliability. We’ll cover environment setup, basic flows, testing, monitoring, and a handful of best practices that matter most when you move from prototype to production.

Setup & prerequisites

Start with the official Trezor Suite desktop app or Trezor Bridge for browser access. For web projects, install the Trezor Connect JavaScript library from the GitHub repo and verify you use a supported Node.js / browser combination. Clone sample apps from the Trezor Suite repo to see real examples. Use a disposable test device or a device set with a test-only seed for development — never use production seeds while testing.

Core integration flow

A typical flow follows: device discovery / pair → request public key(s) → construct unsigned transaction → request signature on-device → receive signature → assemble and broadcast. Keep private keys on-device: only public keys and signed payloads transit the application boundary. Display clear, human-readable transaction details on your UI to encourage users to verify amounts and destination addresses shown by the device during signing.

// Simplified flow (pseudocode)
connectDevice();
pubkey = requestPublicKey(path);
unsignedTx = buildTransaction(inputs, outputs);
signed = requestSignature(device, unsignedTx);
broadcast(signed);

SDKs, endpoints & resources

Trezor provides SDKs and integration examples for JavaScript (Trezor Connect), Python, and other community-supported languages. Use the SDKs to handle device discovery, session lifecycle, and common signing operations rather than re-implementing low-level USB or WebUSB logic. The API reference documents available endpoints and expected message formats for PSBT, Ethereum transaction types, and newer chain-specific data structures.

Security best practices

Treat the application and backend as potentially compromised; design so that a compromised server cannot exfiltrate keys or silently authorize large transactions. Implement rate limiting for signing operations, require multi-factor approvals for high-value actions, and present explicit confirmation steps. Keep an auditable trail: log requests and confirmation events without logging sensitive payloads. When necessary, pair Trezor devices with HSM-backed services for policy enforcement.

Testing strategy

Automated testing is essential. Use testnets to execute end-to-end scenarios: create and sign transactions, confirm address generation, and validate recovery flows. For CI, run emulators or hardware-in-the-loop steps guarded by test flags to avoid accidental mainnet operations. Add unit tests for transaction builders and fuzz signing inputs to catch edge cases. Provide mock UI states for user prompts so UX tests can validate device-driven flows.

Performance & operational guidance

Public key lookups are read-only and can be batched and cached to reduce device interactions. Signing should be user-initiated and limited to necessary operations. For high throughput services, adopt a hybrid custody model: use hot wallets for low-value, rapid transactions and keep high-value assets in cold storage secured by Trezor devices. Monitor signing latencies, device disconnect rates, and firmware mismatches to catch regressions quickly.

UX & accessibility

Make device pairing transparent: surface clear instructions, progress states, and troubleshooting tips (USB permissions, Bridge installation, mobile pairing). Support keyboard navigation and screen readers in your app flows. When the device requests user confirmation, show an accessible transcript of what the device is displaying so assistive technologies can relay equivalent information to users with visual impairments.

Maintenance & firmware

Firmware updates may change the device API or expose new capabilities. Check the firmware release notes and compatibility matrix before deploying breaking changes. Offer in-app notifications and step-by-step update flows: a user-friendly prompt that guides them to update ensures signing flows continue to work as expected. Maintain a compatibility table in your docs tied to specific SDK versions.

Monitoring & incident response

Instrument your integration with telemetry that respects privacy: track failure types (connection lost, user rejection, signature error), device firmware versions, and geographic distribution of errors. Have runbooks for common device issues and a clear escalation path for suspected security incidents. Offer support teams access to sanitized logs and diagnostic tools to reproduce issues without exposing secrets.

Open source & community

Contribute to the ecosystem: report issues to the appropriate GitHub repository, submit small reproducible examples, and propose documentation improvements. Many integration questions are answered in the community forum and in sample projects; reusing well-reviewed community code reduces your risk and speeds development.

Legal & compliance

Understand your regulatory boundaries. If you’re offering custody or custodial services, consult legal counsel for KYC/AML and custody obligations in your target jurisdictions. Maintain clear consent records for signing operations and consider cryptographic proof-of-approval if required for audits.

Getting to production

Roadmap your launch by locking down a compatibility matrix, completing audit and penetration testing, establishing support workflows, and training your operations team on device-specific troubleshooting. Stage rollouts and monitor for unexpected behaviors in the first weeks after release. Provide users with recovery instructions and clearly describe what to do if a device is lost or damaged.

Example resources

Start points: the official site, the Trezor Connect repo, the Trezor Suite repo, firmware releases at GitHub, and the security guide.