Introduction - Phantom Developer Documentation

Overview

Phantom is a popular non-custodial crypto wallet that enables users to manage digital assets and interact with decentralized applications across multiple chains (including Solana, Ethereum-compatible chains, and others). Developers integrate Phantom to request account access, sign messages/transactions, and enable smooth dApp user flows.

Purpose of this document

This introduction provides a compact, practical orientation for engineering teams: what APIs and SDKs are available, recommended integration patterns, and where to find authoritative documentation and examples.

SDKs & Integration Options

Browser / Web SDK

Phantom typically injects a provider into the browser (`window.phantom` / `window.ethereum`) so dApps can request connections and send transaction requests following EIP-1193-style provider semantics.

React & Frontend

There are community and official SDKs and UI components (React hooks and modal components) that simplify connecting, requesting signatures, and handling account changes.

Mobile & Deeplinks

The Phantom mobile app supports deep links that let mobile dApps open Phantom for authentication, signing, and transaction flows — an essential pattern for native mobile dApp experiences.

Provider API

Core capabilities

The provider API exposes methods for connecting accounts, reading public addresses, signing messages, and requesting transactions. It also supports chain-specific signing methods (e.g., for Bitcoin PSBT signing on supported networks).

Common flows

Initialize provider check (is Phantom available).
Request user connection/permission.
Read account(s) and chain details.
Create a transaction payload; request signature and submission.

Error handling & UX

Always surface clear user prompts for approvals and gracefully handle declines, timeouts, and unsupported chain errors. Provide fallback messaging when Phantom is not installed or the user is on an unsupported device.

Deeplinks & Mobile Integration

Why deeplinks matter

Deeplinks allow a mobile website or app to redirect the user into the Phantom mobile client to complete authentication/signing. The user returns to the originating app once the action completes, enabling frictionless mobile flows.

Best practices

Always include state or a nonce to prevent replay and ensure the flow can be validated when control returns.
Provide fallback instructions if the device lacks Phantom (deep link fallbacks to install page or universal link).

Security, permissions, and privacy

Principles

Limit requested permissions to the minimum required; never request access or signing for actions the user did not explicitly initiate. Use clear language in UX about what signing entails.

Testing & developer settings

Phantom's developer settings (extension & mobile) provide tools for debugging and simulated flows. Use testnets and canonical examples when validating integration behavior.

Examples & Code Patterns

Typical connection snippet (vanilla JS)

// Example: detect Phantom and request connection
if (window.phantom && window.phantom.ethereum) {
  try {
    const resp = await window.phantom.ethereum.request({ method: 'eth_requestAccounts' });
    console.log('Connected accounts', resp);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('User rejected or error', err);
  }
} else {
  console.log('Phantom provider not found; show install instructions.');
}

React usage (conceptual)

Use a context/provider to hold wallet state, expose connect/disconnect methods, and centralize error handling and UI fallbacks.

Resources & Official Links

Below are authoritative documentation resources, SDKs, and reference pages you should bookmark while developing with Phantom.

Contact & community

Support channels

For integration issues, consult the official docs first, then use Phantom’s community channels or GitHub repos for developer-specific questions and bug reports.

Final notes

Start with small read-only integrations, validate user flows on testnets, and progressively add signing and transaction flows. Clear UX for permissions and helpful fallback messaging dramatically improves adoption and reduces support requests.