CIP-30 defines the JavaScript interface a wallet injects into the page as window.cardano.<walletName>. After the user approves a connection through enable(), the dApp can call a fixed set of methods: read used and unused addresses, fetch the network id, query balances and UTxOs, ask the wallet to sign a transaction (signTx) or arbitrary data (signData), and submit a finished transaction (submitTx). Because the wallet performs every signature internally, the website never sees the seed phrase or private keys.
Almost every "Connect Wallet" button in the Cardano ecosystem speaks CIP-30, which is what lets the same dApp work with Eternl, Lace, VESPR, Typhon and others without custom integrations. CIP-95 extends the same bridge for the Conway era so wallets can also expose governance data and sign DRep registration and votes. When you build a transaction flow, always compare the wallet's reported network id against the network your app expects before signing, so a user on the wrong network gets a clear message instead of a cryptic failure.
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- WalletSoftware that stores your private keys and allows you to send, receive, and manage your ada and other tokens.View term
- DAppAn application whose core logic runs as on-chain code rather than on a single company's servers, so its rules keep working even if any one operator walks away.View term
- CIPA formal proposal that describes a change, standard, or feature for Cardano; CIPs are the canonical way ecosystem rules and conventions are debated, refined, and adopted.View term
- CIP-8The standard for signing arbitrary data with a wallet key, used to prove control of an address without sending a transaction or paying a fee.View term
- Stake AddressThe bech32 address (`stake1...`) that owns delegation rights and receives staking rewards, separate from your payment address.View term