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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt

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Dev-controlled wallets are blockchain wallets you manage programmatically from your application. You control wallet creation, transaction execution, and signing through Circle APIs and SDKs. For a comparison of all wallet products, see Choose your wallet product and account types.

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Key features

API-driven

Create wallets and send transactions with Circle APIs and SDKs. No node setup or low-level signing required for supported chains. For unsupported chains, bring your own node with Signing APIs.

You retain custody

Your stays with you: built-in encryption, registration, rotation, and recovery keep compliance and custody clear.

Web3 for users

Run transfers, smart contract interactions, and other onchain actions on behalf of your users so they can hold and use digital assets without managing keys or understanding blockchain details.

Scalability

Scale to many wallets across chains from a single entity secret. Support for unified EVM addresses and high throughput.
Dev-controlled wallets are designed for server-side, automated, or custodial use cases. You define policies, execute transactions, and manage wallet operations. Unlike user-controlled wallets, end users don’t control the private keys directly.

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What you can build

Use dev-controlled wallets when you need funds you control, automation, or many wallets from a single API. Here are some common use cases:
You hold and manage assets on behalf of users; they don’t control keys directly. You create and fund wallets per user or account, execute withdrawals and transfers when users request them, and enforce your own policies (limits, KYC, fraud checks) before any onchain action.
Manage platform reserves, liquidity pools, and rebalancing from programmatic wallets. You hold and move funds between pools or protocols, execute rebalancing or yield strategies, and keep operational and reserve wallets under one entity secret and API surface.
Run scheduled or event-driven disbursements to many recipients. You trigger payouts (payroll, rebates, refunds, incentives) to a list of addresses or to wallets you create per recipient, with full control over timing, amounts, and auditability.
Use programmatic wallets for deposits, withdrawals, and settlement. Incoming funds land in wallets you control; you move assets between hot/cold or operational wallets, process withdrawals to user addresses, and settle marketplace or P2P trades without handing keys to end users.
Power in-game or loyalty balances and automated distribution. You create and fund wallets for players or reward recipients. You credit and debit balances using your logic, then run batch payouts or airdrops without each user managing their own keys.

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Account types

On EVM chains, a developer-controlled wallet is created as either an externally owned account (EOA) or a smart contract account (SCA). Pick one based on your needs. For non-EVM chains such as Aptos or Solana, see Choose your wallet product and account types for a full breakdown by blockchain.

EOA (Externally Owned Account)

Select when the source wallet can hold native token for gas, you want simple key-controlled accounts, and you don’t need multiple operations in one transaction (batch execution).

SCA (Smart Contract Account)

Select when you need gas paid by a relayer or platform (gas sponsorship), batch execution, or other programmable behavior. For details on gas sponsorship, see Gas Station.

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Get started

Create your first dev-controlled wallet or jump straight to a fee-paying transfer after the quickstart:

Create a dev-controlled wallet

Register an entity secret, create a wallet set and EOA wallet on Arc Testnet, fund it, then send USDC between two wallets.

Send a transaction with fee

Send USDC from an EOA dev-controlled wallet to a recipient and verify balances (requires a wallet from the quickstart).