Overview
The Hovi Business & Cloud Wallet provides all the tools you need to integrate verifiable credentials, digital wallets, and decentralized identity into your applications.
Our platform is accessible in two primary ways: a high-level SDK and a low-level API.
Prerequisites
Before you can use the Hovi SDK or API, you must have a Hovi Studio account. All your API keys are managed from the Studio.
- Create an Account: Sign up for free at Hovi Studio.
- Get Your API Key: Once logged in, navigate to the API Keys section (or your Organization settings) to generate and copy your unique API key.
Note: This key is required to authenticate all SDK and API requests.
SDK vs. API: Which to Choose?
You can accomplish any task using either the SDK or the API. The best choice depends on your project's needs and environment.
Hovi Business Wallet SDK
The SDK (@hovi/core-sdk) is a JavaScript/TypeScript library that provides simple, high-level methods for all platform operations. It is the easiest and fastest way to integrate Hovi.
- Best for: Most developers, especially those using a Node.js backend.
- Why use it: The SDK handles complex logic, authentication, and ecosystem-specific differences for you. What might be multiple API calls is often a single SDK function (e.g.,
client.createTenant(...)). - Key Feature: Includes pre-built Ecosystem Clients (like
OpenIdEcosystem,CheqdEcosystem, etc.) that automatically configure the correct endpoints and logic for your target ecosystem.
Hovi Business Wallet API
The API is the foundational layer of REST endpoints that the SDK is built upon. It gives you direct, low-level access to every feature.
- Best for: Developers who need maximum control, are integrating from a non-Node.js backend (like Python, Go, or Java), or have unique proxy/security requirements.
- Why use it: It is platform-agnostic. You can make standard HTTPS requests from any programming language without needing to install a specific package.
- Trade-off: You are responsible for managing API keys, constructing request bodies, and handling the full request/response lifecycle for each endpoint.
Hovi Cloud Wallet
We also provide the Cloud Wallet SDK and Cloud Wallet API for building and managing digital wallets directly within your application. These tools are fully functional and available for use today.
Note: The dedicated tutorial repositories for the Cloud Wallet (similar to the Business Wallet examples below) are currently being prepared and will be released soon.
Explore by Example
We believe the best way to learn is by doing. We have prepared comprehensive example repositories to help you get started immediately.
| Resource | Description | Repository |
|---|---|---|
| Business API Examples | Raw HTTP request examples wrapped in TypeScript helper functions. Ideal for understanding payload structures. | Hovi API Examples |
| Business SDK Examples | Implementation examples using the @hovi/core-sdk package. Best for Node.js developers. | Hovi SDK Examples |
| Cloud Wallet API | Tutorials and examples for the Cloud Wallet API. | (Tutorials Coming Soon) |
| Cloud Wallet SDK | Tutorials and examples for the Cloud Wallet SDK. | (Tutorials Coming Soon) |