dapp

Stellar dApp / Frontend

Client-side development with @stellar/stellar-sdk, wallet connection, signing, and submitting transactions. Covers both classic Stellar operations and Soroban contract invocation from the browser or Node.js.

When to use this skill

• Connecting Freighter or other wallets via Stellar Wallets Kit
• Building, simulating, signing, and submitting transactions
• Invoking Soroban contracts from a frontend
• Implementing smart accounts with passkeys
• Handling network passphrases (Mainnet / Testnet / local)

Related skills

• Writing the contract being invoked → ../soroban/SKILL.md
• Issuing assets and managing trustlines → ../assets/SKILL.md
• Querying chain state via RPC / Horizon → ../data/SKILL.md
• Building paid APIs or agent payment clients → ../agentic-payments/SKILL.md
• SEPs the wallet/anchor flows depend on → ../standards/SKILL.md

---

Goals

• Single SDK instance for the app (RPC/Horizon + transaction building)
• Freighter wallet integration (or multi-wallet via Stellar Wallets Kit)
• Clean separation of client/server in Next.js
• Transaction sending with proper confirmation handling

Quick Navigation

• SDK setup and env config: SDK Initialization
• Wallet integrations: Wallet Integration
• Tx build/send patterns: Transaction Building, Transaction Submission
• React + Next.js patterns: React Components, Next.js App Router Setup
• Smart wallets/passkeys: Smart Accounts (Passkey Wallets)
• Production UX checklist: Transaction UX Checklist

Recommended Dependencies

Requires Node.js 20+ — the Stellar SDK dropped Node 18 support.

npm install @stellar/stellar-sdk @stellar/freighter-api
# Or for multi-wallet support:
npm install @stellar/stellar-sdk @creit.tech/stellar-wallets-kit

SDK Initialization

For the full API reference (RPC methods, Horizon endpoints, migration guide), see api-rpc-horizon.md.

Basic Setup

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";

// For Testnet
const testnetServer = new StellarSdk.Horizon.Server("https://horizon-testnet.stellar.org");
const testnetRpc = new StellarSdk.rpc.Server("https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org");
const testnetNetworkPassphrase = StellarSdk.Networks.TESTNET;

// For Mainnet
const mainnetServer = new StellarSdk.Horizon.Server("https://horizon.stellar.org");
const mainnetRpcUrl = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STELLAR_MAINNET_RPC_URL;
if (!mainnetRpcUrl) throw new Error("Missing NEXT_PUBLIC_STELLAR_MAINNET_RPC_URL");
const mainnetRpc = new StellarSdk.rpc.Server(mainnetRpcUrl); // set from your chosen RPC provider
const mainnetNetworkPassphrase = StellarSdk.Networks.PUBLIC;

Environment Configuration

Use a provider-specific mainnet RPC URL (see: https://developers.stellar.org/docs/data/apis/rpc/providers).

// lib/stellar.ts
import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";

const NETWORK = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STELLAR_NETWORK || "testnet";

const requireEnv = (name: string): string => {
  const value = process.env[name];
  if (!value) throw new Error(`Missing required env var: ${name}`);
  return value;
};

export const config = {
  testnet: {
    horizonUrl: "https://horizon-testnet.stellar.org",
    rpcUrl: "https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org",
    networkPassphrase: StellarSdk.Networks.TESTNET,
    friendbotUrl: "https://friendbot.stellar.org",
  },
  mainnet: {
    horizonUrl: "https://horizon.stellar.org",
    rpcUrl: requireEnv("NEXT_PUBLIC_STELLAR_MAINNET_RPC_URL"),
    networkPassphrase: StellarSdk.Networks.PUBLIC,
    friendbotUrl: null,
  },
}[NETWORK]!;

export const horizon = new StellarSdk.Horizon.Server(config.horizonUrl);
export const rpc = new StellarSdk.rpc.Server(config.rpcUrl);

Wallet Integration

Freighter (Primary Browser Wallet)

// hooks/useFreighter.ts
import { useState, useEffect, useCallback } from "react";
import {
  isConnected,
  getAddress,
  requestAccess,
  signTransaction,
  getNetwork,
} from "@stellar/freighter-api";

export function useFreighter() {
  const [connected, setConnected] = useState(false);
  const [address, setAddress] = useState<string | null>(null);
  const [network, setNetwork] = useState<string | null>(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    checkConnection();
  }, []);

  const checkConnection = async () => {
    const { isConnected: installed, error } = await isConnected();
    if (error || !installed) return;

    // getAddress returns address: "" until the app has been granted access,
    // so a non-empty address means we're already authorized.
    const { address: addr, error: addressError } = await getAddress();
    if (addressError || !addr) return;

    const { network: net, error: networkError } = await getNetwork();
    if (networkError) return;
    setConnected(true);
    setAddress(addr);
    setNetwork(net);
  };

  const connect = useCallback(async () => {
    const { isConnected: installed, error } = await isConnected();
    if (error || !installed) {
      throw new Error("Freighter extension not installed");
    }

    // requestAccess prompts the user and returns the granted address.
    const { address: addr, error: accessError } = await requestAccess();
    if (accessError) throw new Error(accessError.message);

    const { network: net, error: networkError } = await getNetwork();
    if (networkError) throw new Error(networkError.message);
    setConnected(true);
    setAddress(addr);
    setNetwork(net);

    return addr;
  }, []);

  const disconnect = useCallback(() => {
    setConnected(false);
    setAddress(null);
    setNetwork(null);
  }, []);

  const sign = useCallback(
    async (xdr: string, networkPassphrase: string) => {
      if (!connected) throw new Error("Wallet not connected");
      const { signedTxXdr, error } = await signTransaction(xdr, {
        networkPassphrase,
      });
      if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
      return signedTxXdr;
    },
    [connected]
  );

  return { connected, address, network, connect, disconnect, sign };
}

Stellar Wallets Kit (Multi-Wallet)

// hooks/useStellarWallet.ts
import { useState, useCallback } from "react";
import {
  StellarWalletsKit,
  WalletNetwork,
  allowAllModules,
  FREIGHTER_ID,
  LOBSTR_ID,
  XBULL_ID,
} from "@creit.tech/stellar-wallets-kit";

const kit = new StellarWalletsKit({
  network: WalletNetwork.TESTNET,
  selectedWalletId: FREIGHTER_ID,
  modules: allowAllModules(),
});

export function useStellarWallet() {
  const [address, setAddress] = useState<string | null>(null);

  const connect = useCallback(async () => {
    await kit.openModal({
      onWalletSelected: async (option) => {
        kit.setWallet(option.id);
        const { address } = await kit.getAddress();
        setAddress(address);
      },
    });
  }, []);

  const disconnect = useCallback(() => {
    setAddress(null);
  }, []);

  const sign = useCallback(async (xdr: string) => {
    const { signedTxXdr } = await kit.signTransaction(xdr);
    return signedTxXdr;
  }, []);

  return { address, connect, disconnect, sign, kit };
}

Transaction Building

Basic Payment

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";
import { horizon, config } from "@/lib/stellar";

export async function buildPaymentTx(
  sourceAddress: string,
  destinationAddress: string,
  amount: string,
  asset: StellarSdk.Asset = StellarSdk.Asset.native()
) {
  const account = await horizon.loadAccount(sourceAddress);

  const transaction = new StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder(account, {
    fee: StellarSdk.BASE_FEE,
    networkPassphrase: config.networkPassphrase,
  })
    .addOperation(
      StellarSdk.Operation.payment({
        destination: destinationAddress,
        asset: asset,
        amount: amount,
      })
    )
    .setTimeout(180)
    .build();

  return transaction.toXDR();
}

Soroban Contract Invocation

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";
import { rpc, config } from "@/lib/stellar";

export async function invokeContract(
  sourceAddress: string,
  contractId: string,
  method: string,
  args: StellarSdk.xdr.ScVal[]
) {
  const account = await rpc.getAccount(sourceAddress);

  const contract = new StellarSdk.Contract(contractId);

  let transaction = new StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder(account, {
    fee: StellarSdk.BASE_FEE,
    networkPassphrase: config.networkPassphrase,
  })
    .addOperation(contract.call(method, ...args))
    .setTimeout(180)
    .build();

  // Simulate to get resource estimates
  const simulation = await rpc.simulateTransaction(transaction);

  if (StellarSdk.rpc.Api.isSimulationError(simulation)) {
    throw new Error(`Simulation failed: ${simulation.error}`);
  }

  // Assemble with proper resources
  transaction = StellarSdk.rpc.assembleTransaction(
    transaction,
    simulation
  ).build();

  return transaction.toXDR();
}

Building ScVal Arguments

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";

// Common conversions
const addressVal = StellarSdk.Address.fromString(address).toScVal();
const i128Val = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal(BigInt(amount), { type: "i128" });
const u32Val = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal(42, { type: "u32" });
const stringVal = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal("hello", { type: "string" });
const symbolVal = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal("transfer", { type: "symbol" });

// Struct
const structVal = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal(
  { name: "Token", decimals: 7 },
  {
    type: {
      name: ["symbol", null],
      decimals: ["u32", null],
    },
  }
);

// Vec
const vecVal = StellarSdk.nativeToScVal([1, 2, 3], { type: "i128" });

Transaction Submission

Submit and Wait for Confirmation

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";
import { rpc, horizon, config } from "@/lib/stellar";

export async function submitTransaction(signedXdr: string) {
  const transaction = StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder.fromXDR(
    signedXdr,
    config.networkPassphrase
  );

  // For Soroban transactions, use RPC
  if (transaction.operations.some(op => op.type === "invokeHostFunction")) {
    return submitSorobanTransaction(signedXdr);
  }

  // For classic transactions, use Horizon
  return submitClassicTransaction(signedXdr);
}

async function submitSorobanTransaction(signedXdr: string) {
  const transaction = StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder.fromXDR(
    signedXdr,
    config.networkPassphrase
  ) as StellarSdk.Transaction;

  const response = await rpc.sendTransaction(transaction);

  if (response.status === "ERROR") {
    throw new Error(`Transaction failed: ${response.errorResult}`);
  }

  // Poll for completion
  let getResponse = await rpc.getTransaction(response.hash);
  while (getResponse.status === "NOT_FOUND") {
    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
    getResponse = await rpc.getTransaction(response.hash);
  }

  if (getResponse.status === "SUCCESS") {
    return {
      hash: response.hash,
      result: getResponse.returnValue,
    };
  }

  throw new Error(`Transaction failed: ${getResponse.status}`);
}

async function submitClassicTransaction(signedXdr: string) {
  const transaction = StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder.fromXDR(
    signedXdr,
    config.networkPassphrase
  ) as StellarSdk.Transaction;

  const response = await horizon.submitTransaction(transaction);
  return {
    hash: response.hash,
    ledger: response.ledger,
  };
}

React Components

Connect Wallet Button

// components/ConnectButton.tsx
"use client";

import { useFreighter } from "@/hooks/useFreighter";

export function ConnectButton() {
  const { connected, address, connect, disconnect } = useFreighter();

  if (connected && address) {
    return (
      <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
        <span className="text-sm">
          {address.slice(0, 4)}...{address.slice(-4)}
        </span>
        <button
          onClick={disconnect}
          className="px-4 py-2 bg-red-500 text-white rounded"
        >
          Disconnect
        </button>
      </div>
    );
  }

  return (
    <button
      onClick={connect}
      className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded"
    >
      Connect Wallet
    </button>
  );
}

Send Payment Form

// components/SendPayment.tsx
"use client";

import { useState } from "react";
import { useFreighter } from "@/hooks/useFreighter";
import { buildPaymentTx, submitTransaction } from "@/lib/transactions";

export function SendPayment() {
  const { address, sign } = useFreighter();
  const [destination, setDestination] = useState("");
  const [amount, setAmount] = useState("");
  const [status, setStatus] = useState<string | null>(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);

  const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (!address) return;

    setLoading(true);
    setStatus("Building transaction...");

    try {
      const xdr = await buildPaymentTx(address, destination, amount);

      setStatus("Please sign in your wallet...");
      const signedXdr = await sign(xdr, config.networkPassphrase);

      setStatus("Submitting transaction...");
      const result = await submitTransaction(signedXdr);

      setStatus(`Success! Hash: ${result.hash}`);
    } catch (error) {
      setStatus(`Error: ${error.message}`);
    } finally {
      setLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="space-y-4">
      <input
        type="text"
        placeholder="Destination Address"
        value={destination}
        onChange={(e) => setDestination(e.target.value)}
        className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
      />
      <input
        type="text"
        placeholder="Amount (XLM)"
        value={amount}
        onChange={(e) => setAmount(e.target.value)}
        className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
      />
      <button
        type="submit"
        disabled={loading || !address}
        className="w-full p-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded disabled:opacity-50"
      >
        {loading ? "Processing..." : "Send"}
      </button>
      {status && <p className="text-sm">{status}</p>}
    </form>
  );
}

Next.js App Router Setup

Provider Component

// app/providers.tsx
"use client";

import { ReactNode } from "react";

// Add any context providers here
export function Providers({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
  return <>{children}</>;
}

Layout

// app/layout.tsx
import { Providers } from "./providers";

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode;
}) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>
        <Providers>{children}</Providers>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

Data Fetching

Account Balance

import { horizon } from "@/lib/stellar";

export async function getBalance(address: string) {
  try {
    const account = await horizon.loadAccount(address);
    const nativeBalance = account.balances.find(
      (b) => b.asset_type === "native"
    );
    return nativeBalance?.balance || "0";
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response?.status === 404) {
      return "0"; // Account not funded
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

Contract State

import * as StellarSdk from "@stellar/stellar-sdk";
import { rpc } from "@/lib/stellar";

export async function getContractData(
  contractId: string,
  key: StellarSdk.xdr.ScVal
) {
  const ledgerKey = StellarSdk.xdr.LedgerKey.contractData(
    new StellarSdk.xdr.LedgerKeyContractData({
      contract: new StellarSdk.Address(contractId).toScAddress(),
      key: key,
      durability: StellarSdk.xdr.ContractDataDurability.persistent(),
    })
  );

  const entries = await rpc.getLedgerEntries(ledgerKey);

  if (entries.entries.length === 0) {
    return null;
  }

  return StellarSdk.scValToNative(
    entries.entries[0].val.contractData().val()
  );
}

Smart Accounts (Passkey Wallets)

For passwordless authentication using WebAuthn passkeys, use Smart Account Kit.

Installation

npm install smart-account-kit

Quick Start

import { SmartAccountKit, IndexedDBStorage } from 'smart-account-kit';

const kit = new SmartAccountKit({
  rpcUrl: 'https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org',
  networkPassphrase: 'Test SDF Network ; September 2015',
  accountWasmHash: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_WASM_HASH',
  webauthnVerifierAddress: 'CWEBAUTHN_VERIFIER_ADDRESS',
  storage: new IndexedDBStorage(),
});

// On page load - silent restore from stored session
const result = await kit.connectWallet();
if (!result) {
  showConnectButton(); // No stored session
}

// Create new wallet with passkey
const { contractId, credentialId } = await kit.createWallet(
  'My App',
  '[email protected]',
  { autoSubmit: true }
);

// Connect to existing wallet (prompts for passkey)
await kit.connectWallet({ prompt: true });

// Sign and submit transactions
const result = await kit.signAndSubmit(transaction);

// Transfer tokens
await kit.transfer(tokenContract, recipient, amount);

Key Features

• Session Management: Automatic credential persistence and silent reconnection
• Multiple Signer Types: Passkeys (secp256r1), Ed25519 keys, policies
• Context Rules: Fine-grained authorization for different operations
• Policy Support: Threshold multisig, spending limits, custom policies
• External Wallet Support: Connect Freighter, LOBSTR via adapters
• Gasless Transactions: Optional relayer integration for fee sponsoring

Fee Sponsorship with OpenZeppelin Relayer

The OpenZeppelin Relayer (also called Stellar Channels Service) handles gasless transaction submission. It replaces the deprecated Launchtube service and uses Stellar's native fee bump mechanism so users don't need XLM for fees.

import * as RPChannels from "@openzeppelin/relayer-plugin-channels";

const client = new RPChannels.ChannelsClient({
  baseUrl: "https://channels.openzeppelin.com/testnet",
  apiKey: "your-api-key",
});

// Submit a Soroban contract call with fee sponsorship
const response = await client.submitSorobanTransaction({
  func: contractFunc,
  auth: contractAuth,
});

• Testnet hosted instance: https://channels.openzeppelin.com/testnet (API keys at /gen)
• Production: Self-host via Docker (GitHub)
• Stellar docs: https://developers.stellar.org/docs/tools/openzeppelin-relayer

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/kalepail/smart-account-kit
• OpenZeppelin Contracts: https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/stellar-contracts
• Legacy SDK: https://github.com/kalepail/passkey-kit (for simpler use cases)

Transaction UX Checklist

• Show loading state during wallet signing
• Display transaction hash immediately after submission
• Track confirmation status (pending → success/failed)
• Handle common errors with clear messages:
  • Wallet not connected
  • User rejected signing
  • Insufficient XLM for fees
  • Account not funded
  • Network mismatch (wallet on wrong network)
  • Transaction timeout/expired
• Prevent double-submission while processing
• Show destination and amount before signing