Create a Wallet

Get up and running with Spark in minutes. This quickstart guide will walk you through creating your first Spark wallet, funding it with Bitcoin, and making your first transaction on Spark.

Setup: Run the CLI

Launch the Spark CLI with a single command. Requires Node.js 20+.

CLI

npx @buildonspark/cli

Or install it globally:

CLI

npm install -g @buildonspark/cli
spark-cli

Initialize Your Wallet

Create your first wallet on Spark:

CLI

> initwallet

Example output:

CLI

Mnemonic: please broccoli hole unfold trigger novel marriage come invest need ostrich never
Network: REGTEST

Important: Keep your mnemonic securely stored offline. Anyone with access to it can take full control of your funds.

To recover an existing wallet:

CLI

> initwallet <mnemonic>

Deposit Bitcoin

Generate a static deposit address:

CLI

> getstaticdepositaddress
bcrt1pz5sxkd4eaycla7av8c9avmdleyertmhkh2zf60vrmn346wwnjayq8phsra

You’ll get a static Bitcoin L1 deposit address linked to your wallet, it can’t be changed. Try it out in our Regtest environment using some monopoly money from the faucet.After depositing Bitcoin from the faucet, get the associated transaction hash:

CLI

> getlatesttx <deposit address>
# Example:
> getlatesttx bcrt1pz5sxkd4eaycla7av8c9avmdleyertmhkh2zf60vrmn346wwnjayq8phsra
2c5ccdc5852eb23662344c142970a1d96f2bed539a1be074cbbff65411ba3270

Once the transaction is confirmed on-chain, you can claim it. To claim your Bitcoin on Spark, start by requesting a quote:

CLI

> claimstaticdepositquote <txid>
# Example:
> claimstaticdepositquote 2c5ccdc5852eb23662344c142970a1d96f2bed539a1be074cbbff65411ba3270

With the quote info ready, you can now claim your Bitcoin.

CLI

> claimstaticdeposit <txid> <creditAmountSats> <signature>
# Example:
> claimstaticdeposit 2c5ccdc5852eb23662344c142970a1d96f2bed539a1be074cbbff65411ba3270 3901 3045022100a69a1c58893947e46d4310d967c2d7e96f539e3e2656e1c76cbce1b96afc149102200a0aef9518cd0a76c9baecbf60afd52ca4c30d2d8025bcba70288a9df6a39e63

Verify that your balance has increased:

CLI

> getbalance
Sats Balance: 3901

Send Bitcoin on Spark

Create a new wallet and fetch its Spark Address. The Spark Address is a static address that can be shared with payers to receive Bitcoin.

CLI

# Wallet 2
> initwallet
Mnemonic: repeat entry hazard estate normal relief pledge act online raw pull bean
Network: REGTEST
> getsparkaddress sparkrt1pgss95264kxj85cqz8g2cj5f66wy5yhhc0je35f8923de7mk8ttvls7a7x9vp9

Now send from Wallet 1:

CLI

# Wallet 1
> initwallet <wallet 1 mnemonic>
> sendtransfer <amount> <spark address>
# Example:
> sendtransfer 200 sparkrt1pgss95264kxj85cqz8g2cj5f66wy5yhhc0je35f8923de7mk8ttvls7a7x9vp9

That’s it. The transfer’s complete. Run getbalance on each wallet to confirm the Bitcoin moved.

Send and Receive Bitcoin from and to Lightning

Spark is fully compatible with Lightning. Let’s test it by sending a Lightning payment between our 2 wallets.

CLI

# Wallet 2 - Create invoice
> initwallet <wallet 2 mnemonic>
> createinvoice <amount> <optional memo>
# Example:
> createinvoice 1000 Spark is awesome!

# Wallet 1 - Pay invoice
> initwallet <wallet 1 mnemonic>
> payinvoice <encoded invoice> <max fees>
# Example:
> payinvoice lnbcrt10u1p5pqphup[...]cpkql23a 200

The payer specifies the maximum fee they’re willing to pay for the invoice (in sats). The SDK then finds the route with the lowest possible fees but it will never exceed that limit.Use getbalance on each wallet to verify the payment.

Withdraw to L1

You can withdraw Bitcoin from Spark to Bitcoin by sending them to an L1 address. In this example, we’ll withdraw Bitcoin from Wallet 1 and send it to Wallet 2’s L1 address.

CLI

# Wallet 2 - Get deposit address
> initwallet <wallet 2 mnemonic>
> getstaticdepositaddress

Check withdrawal fee:

CLI

# Wallet 1 - Check fees and withdraw
> initwallet <wallet 1 mnemonic>
> withdrawalfee <amount> <deposit address>
# Example:
> withdrawalfee 15000 bcrt1p6tx52amnr448lv8vyr7fumqt3c2qmlkg4hgvj8swxfcz8cayukvqwk9mu6

If it’s acceptable:

CLI

> withdraw <amount> <deposit address> <SLOW|MEDIUM|FAST>
# Example:
> withdraw 15000 bcrt1pslvlzmkwz8f42u8vr2fkhdhyzyh2x5cwy8l0lpdnqr4ptsjrefrq0sd0gl FAST

Once the transaction is confirmed, use the same claim process described above to claim your Bitcoin on Spark.

Introduction

Quickstart

Integrations

Create a Wallet