Ledger Live is the official companion application for Ledger hardware wallets. It provides a single interface for account management, transaction signing (via a hardware device), portfolio monitoring, and interactions with supported services (staking, swapping, and third-party Live Apps). In this document we describe the architecture, security model, integration points, developer interfaces, operational considerations, and recommended deployment/checklist for teams building around Ledger Live.
Ledger Live is implemented as a desktop and mobile application (Electron + React on desktop; native wrappers for mobile). It communicates with Ledger hardware through platform transport layers (USB HID, WebHID, WebUSB, BT for Nano X). The heavy-lifting cryptography and key storage occur inside the Secure Element on the device; Ledger Live orchestrates account derivation, transaction construction, and the user-facing signing workflow.
The device stores seed material and executes signing operations within an isolated Secure Element and OS. The host (Ledger Live) never receives private keys. All sensitive operations require user confirmation on the device display.
Ledger Live handles account state, local storage of metadata, transaction broadcasting (via integrated node/third-party RPC providers), portfolio aggregation, and the UI flows that request actions from the device. The app also provides the mechanism to install/uninstall apps on the device.
Ledger Live integrates optional services: swap providers, staking services, fiat on/off ramps and "Live Apps" — each integration is a third-party service surfaced in the UI and has its own risk profile. Separate audit and vetting procedures are recommended for each partner integration.
Developers use the Ledger JS libraries and transport modules (USB, HID, BLE) to talk to apps on the device. Common flows: establish transport, select the crypto app, prepare APDU payloads, request signature, and parse responses. Use official SDKs to avoid subtle protocol mismatches.
If building a Live App or integrating into Ledger Live, use the Ledger developer portal APIs and follow the submission, documentation, and security deliverables required by Ledger. Live Apps communicate with Ledger Live via well-documented discovery and messaging protocols.
Primary threats include: endpoint malware (fake apps, transaction-mirroring installers), phishing (malicious UI), man-in-the-middle on network providers, and social engineering for seed disclosure. The mitigations are layered: device confirmation, verified firmware, official app downloads, and education.
If a user reports compromise, steps should include: immediate revocation/monitoring, advising movement of assets to a new device with new seed, and analysis of how the seed/credentials were exposed. For enterprise uses, coordinate with Ledger Support channels for forensic guidance.
Ledger Live is a mature, feature-rich host for Ledger hardware wallets, but the security guarantees ultimately rely on end-to-end vigilance: verified software sources, device confirmations, user education, and careful integration of third-party services. For developer and security teams, rely on Ledger’s official documentation and follow the submission guidelines when building Live Apps or integrating services.