Ledger Live is the official desktop and mobile application developed by Ledger to manage cryptocurrency assets securely. It serves as the bridge between your Ledger hardware wallets (Nano S, Nano X, and Stax) and blockchain networks.
With Ledger Live, users can send, receive, buy, swap, stake, and manage thousands of digital assets while maintaining private key control. The app ensures that sensitive data never leaves your hardware device, enforcing the highest standards of security.
Ledger Live is built on a modular architecture designed to enhance scalability and security.
Each module is isolated to prevent single points of failure and to maintain smooth communication
with Ledger devices through the Ledger Manager API.
Ledger devices contain a Secure Element chip that signs all transactions internally. Ledger Live simply displays transaction details, ensuring that private keys never leave the physical device.
When you connect a hardware wallet, Ledger Live scans supported blockchains and synchronizes account balances. The software uses a combination of local indexing and remote APIs provided by Ledger’s blockchain explorers.
All outgoing transactions are signed within the hardware wallet. The process includes:
Ledger Live also manages firmware updates and installs coin-specific apps. These are fetched from the Ledger Manager repository, which ensures that each update is cryptographically signed and verified.
Ledger Live supports over 5,500 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Through its open-source ecosystem, developers can contribute additional integrations via Ledger’s GitHub repository.
Users can stake assets such as Ethereum, Cosmos, and Polkadot directly from the app. Ledger Live integrates with DeFi protocols using the Ledger DeFi Portal.
All communications between the Ledger Live application and the device are encrypted. The connection layer is protected with Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3) and an additional hardware-based handshake.
Ledger wallets utilize a tamper-proof chip known as a Secure Element, certified to Common Criteria EAL5+. This ensures that even if your computer is compromised, private keys remain safe.
The recovery phrase, also called a 24-word seed phrase, is the ultimate backup of your wallet. Ledger Live provides secure instructions for recovery but never stores or transmits the seed.
Developers can integrate Ledger hardware support into third-party applications using the Ledger Developer Portal. The SDK provides access to key modules:
@ledgerhq/hw-transport for USB and Bluetooth communication@ledgerhq/hw-app-btc and @ledgerhq/hw-app-eth for coin-specific functions@ledgerhq/live-common for blockchain synchronization
// Example: Connecting Ledger device with JavaScript
import TransportWebUSB from "@ledgerhq/hw-transport-webusb";
import AppBtc from "@ledgerhq/hw-app-btc";
async function connectLedger() {
const transport = await TransportWebUSB.create();
const btc = new AppBtc(transport);
const result = await btc.getWalletPublicKey("44'/0'/0'/0/0");
console.log(result);
}
Ledger Live offers a clean, intuitive UI built with React components. The dashboard provides real-time portfolio tracking, price charts, and a secure connection indicator.
Users can switch between light and dark themes, manage preferred currencies, and configure blockchain explorers for advanced analytics.
Ledger encourages open-source collaboration. Developers can submit pull requests and feature proposals directly on the LedgerHQ GitHub.