claude-dev-suite BDK (Bitcoin Dev Kit)
High-level wallet library on top of rust-bitcoin + miniscript. Descriptor- first; modular chain backends.
Repo: github.com/bitcoindevkit/bdk.
Install
[dependencies]
bdk_wallet = "1.0"
bdk_esplora = "0.20"
bdk_electrum = "0.20"
bdk_bitcoind_rpc = "0.16"
Quick example
use bdk_wallet::{Wallet, KeychainKind};
use bdk_wallet::bitcoin::Network;
use bdk_wallet::SignOptions;
let descriptor = "wpkh(xprv.../84h/0h/0h/0/*)";
let change_descriptor = "wpkh(xprv.../84h/0h/0h/1/*)";
let mut wallet = Wallet::create(descriptor, change_descriptor)
.network(Network::Bitcoin)
.create_wallet_no_persist()?;
// Sync with chain
let esplora = esplora_client::Builder::new("https://mempool.space/api").build_async()?;
let request = wallet.start_full_scan().build();
let update = esplora.full_scan(request, 5, 1).await?;
wallet.apply_update(update)?;
// Build a tx
let mut tx_builder = wallet.build_tx();
tx_builder.add_recipient(addr.script_pubkey(), Amount::from_sat(10_000));
let mut psbt = tx_builder.finish()?;
// Sign
wallet.sign(&mut psbt, SignOptions::default())?;
let tx = psbt.extract_tx()?;
Bindings
- bdk-swift — iOS / macOS.
- bdk-kotlin / bdk-android — Android / JVM.
- bdkpython — Python.
- bdk-flutter — Dart / Flutter.
- bdk-jvm — Java / Kotlin desktop.
All expose the same API surface, generated from UniFFI bindings.
Chain backends
- Esplora (HTTP REST).
- Electrum (TCP / TLS).
- Bitcoin Core RPC.
- Compact filters (BIP157/158, via Neutrino).
Each backend has its own start_full_scan / start_sync flow.
Use cases
- Mobile wallets (iOS/Android via bindings).
- Custom Bitcoin apps that need a battle-tested wallet engine.
- Server-side wallet management (custodial backends).
Compared
| Aspect | BDK | rust-bitcoin only | LDK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | High (wallet) | Low (primitives) | Lightning |
| Descriptors | Native | Manual | n/a |
| Coin selection | Built-in | Manual | n/a |
| Persistence | Pluggable | None | Pluggable |
Common pitfalls
- v0 → v1 API migration (changed significantly mid-2024-2025).
- Persistence must match wallet version (incompatible across major versions).
- Async vs sync APIs: separate crates.