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Quickstart Guide

This guide will walk you through creating your first blockchain account and sending a transaction using the CDP SDK.
Before you begin, make sure you’ve installed the SDK and set up your API keys.

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete working example that creates an account, requests testnet funds, and sends a transaction: 
import { CdpClient } from "@coinbase/cdp-sdk";
import { parseEther, createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
import { baseSepolia } from "viem/chains";
import dotenv from "dotenv";

dotenv.config();

const publicClient = createPublicClient({
  chain: baseSepolia,
  transport: http(),
});

const cdp = new CdpClient();

// Step 1: Create an account
const account = await cdp.evm.createAccount();
console.log(`Created account: ${account.address}`);

// Step 2: Request testnet funds
const faucetResp = await cdp.evm.requestFaucet({
  address: account.address,
  network: "base-sepolia",
  token: "eth",
});

await publicClient.waitForTransactionReceipt({
  hash: faucetResp.transactionHash,
});
console.log("Received testnet ETH");

// Step 3: Send a transaction
const { transactionHash } = await cdp.evm.sendTransaction({
  address: account.address,
  network: "base-sepolia",
  transaction: {
    to: "0x4252e0c9A3da5A2700e7d91cb50aEf522D0C6Fe8",
    value: parseEther("0.000001"),
  },
});

await publicClient.waitForTransactionReceipt({ hash: transactionHash });

console.log(
  `Transaction confirmed! https://sepolia.basescan.org/tx/${transactionHash}`
);

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Step-by-Step Breakdown

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Step 1: Initialize the Client

First, create a CDP client instance. The client will automatically use credentials from environment variables: 
import { CdpClient } from "@coinbase/cdp-sdk";

const cdp = new CdpClient();
The client automatically reads CDP_API_KEY_ID, CDP_API_KEY_SECRET, and CDP_WALLET_SECRET from your environment variables.

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Step 2: Create an Account

Create a new blockchain account. CDP manages the private key securely: 
const account = await cdp.evm.createAccount();
console.log(`Account address: ${account.address}`);
You can also name your accounts for easier management: 
const account = await cdp.evm.createAccount({
  name: "MyFirstAccount"
});

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Step 3: Request Testnet Funds

For testing, request free testnet tokens from the CDP faucet: 
const faucetResp = await cdp.evm.requestFaucet({
  address: account.address,
  network: "base-sepolia",
  token: "eth",
});

// Wait for the faucet transaction to complete
await publicClient.waitForTransactionReceipt({
  hash: faucetResp.transactionHash,
});
Faucet functionality is only available on testnets. For mainnet, you’ll need to fund accounts through other means.

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Step 4: Send a Transaction

Now send a transaction on the blockchain: 
import { parseEther } from "viem";

const { transactionHash } = await cdp.evm.sendTransaction({
  address: account.address,
  network: "base-sepolia",
  transaction: {
    to: "0x4252e0c9A3da5A2700e7d91cb50aEf522D0C6Fe8",
    value: parseEther("0.000001"),
  },
});

// Wait for confirmation
await publicClient.waitForTransactionReceipt({ hash: transactionHash });
CDP automatically manages gas fees and nonces for you!

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Solana Example

Here’s the same flow for Solana: 
import { CdpClient } from "@coinbase/cdp-sdk";
import {
  PublicKey,
  SystemProgram,
  SYSVAR_RECENT_BLOCKHASHES_PUBKEY,
  Transaction,
} from "@solana/web3.js";

const cdp = new CdpClient();

// Create account
const account = await cdp.solana.createAccount();
console.log(`Created account: ${account.address}`);

// Request testnet SOL
await cdp.solana.requestFaucet({
  address: account.address,
  token: "sol",
});

// Create and send transaction
const transaction = new Transaction();
transaction.add(
  SystemProgram.transfer({
    fromPubkey: new PublicKey(account.address),
    toPubkey: new PublicKey("3KzDtddx4i53FBkvCzuDmRbaMozTZoJBb1TToWhz3JfE"),
    lamports: 10000,
  })
);

transaction.recentBlockhash = SYSVAR_RECENT_BLOCKHASHES_PUBKEY.toBase58();
transaction.feePayer = new PublicKey(account.address);

const serializedTx = Buffer.from(
  transaction.serialize({ requireAllSignatures: false })
).toString("base64");

const txResult = await cdp.solana.sendTransaction({
  network: "solana-devnet",
  transaction: serializedTx,
});

console.log(`Transaction: https://explorer.solana.com/tx/${txResult.signature}?cluster=devnet`);

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Transferring Tokens

CDP SDK provides convenient methods for transferring tokens: 
import { parseUnits } from "viem";

// Transfer USDC
const { transactionHash } = await account.transfer({
  to: "0x9F663335Cd6Ad02a37B633602E98866CF944124d",
  amount: parseUnits("0.01", 6), // USDC has 6 decimals
  token: "usdc",
  network: "base-sepolia",
});

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What’s Next?

Smart Accounts

Learn about account abstraction and gasless transactions

Token Swaps

Swap tokens directly in your application

Policy Management

Add transaction rules and permissions

Examples

Explore more code examples

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