Wallet Developer Path

Welcome to the Wallet Developer learning path. This guide will teach you everything you need to build wallet applications on Cardano using the Nacho API.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this path, you'll be able to:

• Query UTxOs to calculate wallet balances
• Display transaction history for addresses
• Build and submit transactions to send ADA
• Handle multiple addresses and stake keys
• Implement real-time balance updates

Prerequisites

Before starting, you should have:

• Basic programming knowledge (TypeScript or Python)
• An API key from your dashboard
• A code editor and Node.js 18+ installed

Path Overview

Core Concepts

The UTxO Model

Cardano uses the Unspent Transaction Output (UTxO) model, which is fundamentally different from account-based blockchains like Ethereum.

Think of UTxOs like physical cash:

• Each UTxO is like a bill in your wallet
• To spend, you must use entire UTxOs (you can't tear a $20 bill in half)
• You receive "change" as new UTxOs

Example: If you have a 100 ADA UTxO and want to send 30 ADA:

1. You spend the entire 100 ADA UTxO
2. You create two new UTxOs: 30 ADA to the recipient, ~70 ADA back to yourself (minus fees)

Addresses

Cardano addresses come in several types:

Most wallet addresses are base addresses that combine payment and staking keys.

Stake Keys

Every wallet typically has:

• Payment key: Controls spending
• Stake key: Controls delegation

Multiple payment addresses can share the same stake key, which is how HD wallets work.

API Endpoints You'll Use

Next Steps

Ready to start building? Begin with the first tutorial:

Start: Build a Balance Checker