Developer Paradigms

Module 0: Understanding Your Development Approach

Before diving into BSV development, it's crucial to understand the two fundamental architectural paradigms for building BSV applications. Your choice determines how you structure your application, manage keys, handle transactions, and integrate with users.

Overview

BSV applications can be built using two distinct paradigms:

Backend/Service Development - Custodial wallet management where your application controls private keys
Frontend Integration Development - Non-custodial where users control their own wallets

Each paradigm serves different use cases, has different security considerations, and requires different SDK components.

Paradigm 1: Backend/Service Development

What It Is

Backend development is when your application manages wallets and private keys on behalf of users or for internal business operations. The application acts as a custodian, controlling the signing of transactions server-side.

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Your Backend Service            │
│                                      │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  Private Key Storage           │ │
│  │  (Secure server-side)          │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│              ↓                       │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  BSV SDK                       │ │
│  │  - Transaction building        │ │
│  │  - Signing with stored keys    │ │
│  │  - Broadcasting                │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│              ↓                       │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  BSV Blockchain                │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
           ↕ (API)
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│      User Interface                  │
│  (Web/Mobile - no keys)              │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Use Cases

Perfect for:

✅ Automated payment systems - Server processes payments without user interaction
✅ Internal business operations - Supply chain tracking, invoicing, B2B transactions
✅ Enterprise wallet services - Companies managing wallets for employees
✅ Custody solutions - Exchanges, payment processors, merchant services
✅ Tokenization platforms - Server mints and transfers tokens programmatically
✅ Recurring billing - Subscription services with automatic charges
✅ Batch processing - High-volume transaction processing
✅ Business wallets - Corporate treasury management

Not ideal for:

❌ Consumer-facing dApps where users expect wallet sovereignty
❌ Applications where regulatory compliance requires non-custodial solutions
❌ Use cases requiring user signature authentication

Technical Stack

Core SDK Components:

import {
  PrivateKey,     // Generate and manage keys server-side
  Transaction,    // Build transactions programmatically
  P2PKH,          // Standard payment template
  ARC            // Broadcast to BSV network
} from '@bsv/sdk'

Key Operations:

Key Management: Generate and securely store private keys in your database/vault
UTXO Tracking: Maintain UTXO database for your managed wallets
Transaction Building: Create transactions programmatically using SDK
Automated Signing: Sign with stored private keys
Broadcasting: Submit transactions to blockchain via ARC

Simple Backend Example

import { PrivateKey, Transaction, P2PKH, ARC } from '@bsv/sdk'

class BackendWalletService {
  private privateKey: PrivateKey

  constructor() {
    // In production: load from secure storage/vault
    this.privateKey = PrivateKey.fromWIF('your-stored-wif')
  }

  async sendPayment(recipientAddress: string, amountSatoshis: number) {
    // 1. Build transaction (SDK handles UTXO selection, fees, change)
    const tx = new Transaction()

    // 2. Add payment output
    tx.addOutput({
      satoshis: amountSatoshis,
      lockingScript: new P2PKH().lock(recipientAddress)
    })

    // 3. Sign with your stored key
    await tx.sign(this.privateKey)

    // 4. Broadcast (SDK handles ARC connection)
    const txid = await tx.broadcast()

    return txid
  }

  // Your API endpoint
  async handlePaymentRequest(req, res) {
    const { recipient, amount } = req.body
    const txid = await this.sendPayment(recipient, amount)
    res.json({ success: true, txid })
  }
}

Security Considerations

Critical Requirements:

🔒 Secure key storage - Use HSMs, key vaults, or encrypted databases
🔒 Access control - Strict authentication for key access
🔒 Audit logging - Track all transaction creation and signing
🔒 Key rotation - Regular key updates for high-value wallets
🔒 Cold storage - Keep most funds in offline wallets
🔒 Rate limiting - Prevent automated attacks on your service
🔒 Multi-signature - Require multiple approvals for large transactions

Compliance:

You are a custodian - subject to financial regulations
May require KYC/AML procedures
Responsible for user funds security
Need insurance and security audits

Paradigm 2: Frontend Integration Development

What It Is

Frontend development is when users control their own wallets and private keys. Your application requests the user's wallet to sign transactions, but never has access to their private keys.

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│      User's Browser/Device           │
│                                      │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  Your dApp Frontend            │ │
│  │                                │ │
│  │  - UI/UX                       │ │
│  │  - Transaction requests        │ │
│  │  - WalletClient integration    │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│              ↕                       │
│        (BRC Protocol)                │
│              ↕                       │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  MetaNet Desktop Wallet        │ │
│  │  (BSV Desktop)                 │ │
│  │                                │ │
│  │  - Private keys (user-owned)   │ │
│  │  - Transaction signing         │ │
│  │  - UTXO management             │ │
│  │  - Broadcasting                │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│              ↓                       │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
               ↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│      BSV Blockchain                  │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Use Cases

Perfect for:

✅ Consumer dApps - Social platforms, marketplaces, content platforms
✅ Web3 applications - Where user sovereignty is expected
✅ Peer-to-peer systems - Direct user-to-user transactions
✅ NFT marketplaces - User-owned digital assets
✅ DeFi applications - Decentralized finance requiring non-custodial approach
✅ Identity applications - Self-sovereign identity systems
✅ Gaming dApps - User owns in-game assets
✅ Voting systems - Cryptographic signature authentication

Not ideal for:

❌ Automated backend processes without user interaction
❌ High-frequency trading (too much user confirmation friction)
❌ Internal business processes where company controls keys
❌ Services requiring custody (exchanges, payment processors)

Technical Stack

Core SDK Components:

import { WalletClient } from '@bsv/sdk'

That's it! The WalletClient handles everything:

Connection to MetaNet Desktop Wallet
Transaction signing requests
UTXO management (wallet handles)
Fee calculation (wallet handles)
Broadcasting (wallet handles)

Simple Frontend Example

import { WalletClient, P2PKH } from '@bsv/sdk'

class PaymentDApp {
  private wallet: WalletClient

  async connectWallet() {
    // 1. Connect to user's MetaNet Desktop Wallet
    this.wallet = new WalletClient('auto')
    await this.wallet.connectToSubstrate()

    // 2. Get user's identity public key
    const { publicKey } = await this.wallet.getPublicKey({
      identityKey: true
    })

    console.log('Connected to wallet, public key:', publicKey)
    return publicKey
  }

  async requestPayment(recipientAddress: string, amountSatoshis: number) {
    // 1. Create action (wallet automatically signs and broadcasts)
    const result = await this.wallet.createAction({
      description: 'Send payment',
      outputs: [{
        lockingScript: new P2PKH().lock(recipientAddress).toHex(),
        satoshis: amountSatoshis,
        outputDescription: 'Payment to recipient'
      }]
    })

    // Wallet handles:
    // - UTXO selection
    // - Fee calculation
    // - Change outputs
    // - Transaction signing
    // - Broadcasting

    // 2. Get transaction ID
    return result.txid
  }

  // React component example
  async handlePayButtonClick() {
    try {
      const txid = await this.requestPayment(
        'recipient-address',
        1000 // satoshis
      )

      alert(`Payment sent! TXID: ${txid}`)
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.code === 'USER_REJECTED') {
        alert('Payment cancelled by user')
      } else {
        alert(`Payment failed: ${error.message}`)
      }
    }
  }
}

MetaNet Desktop Wallet (BSV Desktop)

The Standard Wallet:

This course exclusively teaches MetaNet Desktop Wallet integration. It is the reference implementation of the BRC wallet specification and provides:

✅ Full BRC standard compliance
✅ Seamless WalletClient integration
✅ Best-in-class user experience
✅ Complete UTXO and key management
✅ Automatic fee calculation
✅ Built-in transaction broadcasting

Official Resources:

Wallet Toolbox Documentation: https://fast.brc.dev/
BRC Standards: https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/brc
MetaNet Desktop Wallet: https://desktop.bsvb.tech/

Other wallets (Panda, Yours, etc.) are not covered in this course. Stick with MetaNet Desktop Wallet for standardized, reliable integration.

Security Considerations

Advantages:

✅ Non-custodial - Users control their keys
✅ No key storage risk - Your application never sees private keys
✅ Regulatory clarity - Not a custodian, fewer compliance burdens
✅ User sovereignty - Users can export and use keys elsewhere
✅ Lower liability - User responsible for key security

User Responsibilities:

🔑 User must secure their seed phrase
🔑 User must manage wallet backups
🔑 User must approve each transaction
🔑 Lost keys = lost funds (no recovery)

Your Responsibilities:

✅ Clear UX for wallet connection
✅ Transaction request transparency (show amounts, fees)
✅ Error handling for user rejections
✅ Guidance on wallet security best practices

Comparison Table

Aspect

Backend/Service

Frontend Integration

Key Control

Application controls keys

User controls keys

Best For

Business operations, automated systems

Consumer dApps, peer-to-peer apps

SDK Usage

PrivateKey, Transaction, ARC

WalletClient only

Complexity

Higher - manage keys, UTXOs, security

Lower - wallet handles everything

User Experience

Seamless (no wallet prompts)

Requires user approval per transaction

Regulatory

Custodial (strict regulations)

Non-custodial (fewer regulations)

Security Risk

High (you secure keys)

Lower (user secures keys)

Scalability

High (automated processing)

Medium (user confirmation friction)

Transaction Speed

Instant (programmatic)

Depends on user approval

Choosing Your Paradigm

Ask These Questions:

Who owns the funds?
- Company/service → Backend
- End users → Frontend
Is user interaction required?
- No (automated) → Backend
- Yes (user approves) → Frontend
What's the transaction volume?
- High-frequency → Backend
- User-initiated → Frontend
What's the regulatory environment?
- Can handle custody regulations → Backend
- Need non-custodial → Frontend
What's the use case?
- Internal business → Backend
- Consumer dApp → Frontend

Hybrid Approaches

Many applications use both paradigms:

Example: E-commerce Platform

Backend (Merchant wallet):

Merchant's business wallet managed server-side
Receives customer payments
Processes refunds programmatically
Handles batch payouts

Frontend (Customer wallet):

Customers use MetaNet Desktop Wallet
Connect wallet to make purchases
Sign payment transactions
Receive refunds to their wallet

// Backend: Merchant service
class MerchantWallet {
  async receivePayment(txid: string) {
    // Monitor blockchain for incoming payment
    // Credit customer account
    // Process order
  }

  async processRefund(customerAddress: string, amount: number) {
    // Sign refund transaction with merchant key
    // Broadcast automatically
  }
}

// Frontend: Customer checkout
class CheckoutPage {
  async completePayment() {
    // Request user's wallet to send payment
    const wallet = new WalletClient('auto')
    await wallet.connectToSubstrate()

    const result = await wallet.createAction({
      description: 'Payment for order',
      outputs: [{
        lockingScript: new P2PKH().lock(merchantAddress).toHex(),
        satoshis: orderTotal,
        outputDescription: 'Order payment'
      }]
    })

    // Send txid to backend for confirmation
    await api.confirmPayment(result.txid)
  }
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand the two paradigms, the course content is organized to teach both:

For Backend Development:

Module 1: Environment Setup (Backend)
Module 2: BSV Fundamentals
Module 3: Managing Wallets Server-Side
Module 4: Building Transactions Programmatically

For Frontend Development:

Module 1: Environment Setup (Frontend)
Module 2: BSV Fundamentals
Module 3: WalletClient Integration
Module 4: Building dApps with WalletClient

Universal:

Module 2: BSV Fundamentals applies to both paradigms (UTXOs, transactions, scripts)

Most developers will use both paradigms in different projects, so it's valuable to understand both approaches.

Key Takeaways

Backend/Service = You control keys, programmatic signing, custodial
Frontend/Integration = User controls keys, wallet signing, non-custodial
Backend uses PrivateKey, Transaction, ARC from SDK
Frontend uses WalletClient exclusively
MetaNet Desktop Wallet is the standard wallet for frontend integration
Most production applications use both paradigms for different parts

Choose the paradigm that matches your use case, security requirements, and user experience goals.

Resources

Wallet Toolbox Documentation: https://fast.brc.dev/
BRC Standards: https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/brc
MetaNet Desktop Wallet: https://desktop.bsvb.tech/
Get BSV - Orange Gateway: https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/demos-and-onboardings/onboardings/onboarding-catalog/get-bsv/orange-gateway
SDK Documentation: https://bsv-blockchain.github.io/ts-sdk/
Security Best Practices: sdk-components/private-keys/

Next Module: Environment Setup - Setting up your development environment for your chosen paradigm

PreviousDevelopment Environment NextBSV Fundamentals

Last updated 11 days ago

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Overview

Paradigm 1: Backend/Service Development

What It Is

Architecture

Use Cases

Technical Stack

Simple Backend Example

Security Considerations

Paradigm 2: Frontend Integration Development

What It Is

Architecture

Use Cases

Technical Stack

Simple Frontend Example

MetaNet Desktop Wallet (BSV Desktop)

Security Considerations

Comparison Table

Choosing Your Paradigm

Ask These Questions:

Hybrid Approaches

Example: E-commerce Platform

Next Steps

For Backend Development:

For Frontend Development:

Universal:

Key Takeaways

Resources