Coinbase Wallet for Developers: The Best Wallet for Building Web3

As web3 grows and captures more mainstream attention - through NFTs, DAOs, dapps and other parts of the cryptoeconomy - we see more talented builders entering the ecosystem. Research from Electric Capital shows that over 34,000 new web3 developers committed code in 2021 and over 100,000 since 2018. To build the next generation of financial and internet infrastructure, developers need powerful and secure tools that solve their pain points, save time and help simplify the world of web3. 

Coinbase is committed to giving developers a one-stop-shop for building web3 products. Last month, we launched our Coinbase Cloud platform for web3 developers, including free and instant blockchain API access with Node. We're excited to continue the momentum bylaunching a set of powerful features and upgrades to Coinbase Wallet supporting our mission of being the best place for web3 builders.

Earlier this year, Coinbase announced major upgrades and a complete redesign to its self-custody wallet. Users shared the new and improved Coinbase Wallet is the very best wallet experience in web3 on extension and mobile.

Starting with our Coinbase Wallet Extension, we’ve launched the following updates for developers:

• Testnet Faucets - Get testnet ETH for the Ethereum Görli and Rinkeby testnets directly inside Coinbase Wallet Extension! Get 0.5 testnet ETH on both networks every 24 hours. Additional networks, including Polygon Mumbai, Optimism Goerli and Ethereum Sepolia are coming soon.

• Dedicated testnet asset views - View testnet assets in their own dedicated tab - this makes it easier to manage your portfolio while also working with testnet assets in development

• Redesigned network management - You can now switch networks on the home screen, search for networks and add custom networks easier than ever before

• Multi-wallet - Create and switch between multiple wallets with a shared recovery phrase within your Coinbase Wallet mobile app or extension. In the coming months we will be adding multi-seed support.

• Advanced Settings - Access your wallet’s private key for use with local development environments (e.g. Hardhat) and export custom networks in JSON format

Let’s take a closer look at some of these new features.

1 2 Reliable, secure, privacy-preserving testnet faucets

Today we’re thrilled to release testnet faucets - starting with Ethereum Görli and Rinkeby testnets - which can be claimed directly inside of your Coinbase Wallet Extension. 

Testnets are a fundamental part of the web3 development process. Getting access to testnet assets is typically done through web-based “faucets” that dispense free testnet funds.

We aimed to solve many of the pain points developers face using faucets today, including:

• Our testnet faucets don’t require you to provide an email or provide any other form of personal information

• Both the Coinbase Wallet Ethereum Görli and Rinkeby testnet faucets provide 0.5 ETH per 24 hours - letting you spend less time looking for testnet funds and more time building

• Coinbase Wallet testnet faucets reside directly inside the browser extension, providing a secure experience that deposits funds directly into your wallet

To try out Coinbase Wallet’s testnet faucets:

• Download or open the Coinbase Wallet Extension

• Click the “Settings” icon

• Scroll down to and click “Advanced Settings”

• Click “Testnet Faucets” and select the network you’d like testnet assets for

To accommodate more testnet assets inside Coinbase Wallet, we’ve also redesigned the Assets tab to include a dedicated view of testnet assets (which can be toggled on or off in Settings) that are clearly separated from your regular portfolio’s assets.

Networks in Coinbase Wallet: smarter, faster, easier

Coinbase Wallet offers a powerful multichain experience that includes support for every Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible network. We’ve doubled down on multichain and making Coinbase Wallet Extension great for advanced users and developers with the following upgrades:

1. You can now switch networks from the home page (Assets tab) - one of our most requested features

2. You can now search networks and really easily add custom networks, including from external sources like Chainlist

3. Instead of a single network state across all dapps, Coinbase Wallet remembers which networks you use on certain dapps and allows you to switch them individually

One Wallet, 10x the number of addresses

As an expansion of these multichain features, developers will soon be able to enjoy the added benefit of creating additional wallets with a shared recovery phrase. Creating a new wallet will unlock an additional set of derived addresses across Solana, Ethereum and supported EVM-compatible networks, making it easier for developers to work across multiple addresses and networks without needing to store and manage multiple recovery phrases.

We will continue to expand on this feature in the coming months by unlocking seamless switching between multiple recovery phrases and hardware wallets (such as Ledger wallets). 

Building the best wallet for web3 developers

While we’re thrilled to announce our initial web3 builder and developer features on Coinbase Wallet Extension, we’re just getting started. Over the coming months we will be rolling out more powerful developer features that make building in web3 easy, fun and highly productive. 

How you can join the mission:

• If you’re a web3 builder or developer, download our Coinbase Wallet extension to try out our powerful web3 developer features

• Looking for web3 nodes? Developers have free and instant read/write blockchain access with Node by Coinbase Cloud. Start for free

• If you’re a dapp wanting to integrate Coinbase Wallet on web or mobile, visit the Wallet SDK page and check out our SDK documentation

• If you’re a dapp wanting to get exposure to millions of users by being listed in Coinbase Wallet’s Dapp Marketplace, get in touch

Coinbase Wallet is a self-custody wallet providing software services subject to Coinbase Wallet Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Coinbase Wallet is distinct from Coinbase.com, and private keys for Coinbase Wallet are stored directly by the user and not by Coinbase. Fees may apply. You do not need a Coinbase.com account to use Coinbase Wallet.