Cosmos Integration

Para provides comprehensive support for Cosmos ecosystem integration in Swift applications, allowing you to leverage Para’s secure wallet infrastructure with multiple Cosmos-based blockchains.

Overview

The ParaCosmosSigner class enables seamless interaction with Cosmos chains through Para’s secure key management system. It provides:

Direct signing methods for both Direct (modern protobuf) and Amino (legacy) formats
Balance queries and wallet management across multiple chains
Message signing for arbitrary data authentication
Chain-specific configurations with proper prefixes and denominations
Secure key operations via Para’s MPC infrastructure
Bridge-based implementation that delegates to CosmJS signers for consistency
Clean, focused API that follows single responsibility principles

Supported Chains

Para Swift SDK supports the following Cosmos chains with reliable, CORS-enabled RPC endpoints:

Chain	Chain ID	Prefix	Default Denom	Network Type
Cosmos Hub	`cosmoshub-4`	`cosmos`	`uatom`	Mainnet
Osmosis	`osmosis-1`	`osmo`	`uosmo`	Mainnet
Juno	`juno-1`	`juno`	`ujuno`	Mainnet
Stargaze	`stargaze-1`	`stars`	`ustars`	Mainnet
Cosmos Testnet	`provider`	`cosmos`	`uatom`	Testnet
Osmosis Testnet	`osmo-test-5`	`osmo`	`uosmo`	Testnet

Quick Start

1. Initialize ParaCosmosSigner

Create a ParaCosmosSigner instance with chain-specific configuration:

import ParaSwift

// Initialize for Cosmos Hub mainnet (recommended)
let cosmosSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "cosmoshub-4",
    rpcUrl: "https://cosmos-rpc.publicnode.com",
    prefix: "cosmos"
)

// Initialize for Osmosis mainnet
let osmosSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "osmosis-1",
    rpcUrl: "https://osmosis-rpc.publicnode.com",
    prefix: "osmo"
)

// Initialize for Juno mainnet
let junoSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "juno-1",
    rpcUrl: "https://rpc-juno.itastakers.com",
    prefix: "juno"
)

// Initialize for Cosmos testnet
let testnetSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "provider",
    rpcUrl: "https://rpc.provider-state-sync-01.rs-testnet.polypore.xyz",
    prefix: "cosmos"
)

// Or initialize with a specific wallet
let cosmosSignerWithWallet = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "cosmoshub-4",
    rpcUrl: "https://cosmos-rpc.publicnode.com",
    prefix: "cosmos",
    walletId: "your-wallet-id"
)

2. Select a Wallet

Choose which Cosmos wallet to use for signing operations:

// Fetch available wallets
let wallets = try await paraManager.fetchWallets()
let cosmosWallet = wallets.first { $0.type == .cosmos }

// Select the wallet for signing
if let walletId = cosmosWallet?.id {
    try await cosmosSigner.selectWallet(walletId: walletId)
}

3. Get Wallet Address

Retrieve the bech32 address for the selected wallet with the chain-specific prefix:

// Get address for Cosmos Hub 
let cosmosAddress = try await cosmosSigner.getAddress()
print("Cosmos address: \(cosmosAddress)")
// Output: cosmos1abc123...

// Get address for Osmosis
let osmosAddress = try await osmosSigner.getAddress()
print("Osmosis address: \(osmosAddress)")
// Output: osmo1abc123...

// Get address for Juno
let junoAddress = try await junoSigner.getAddress()
print("Juno address: \(junoAddress)")
// Output: juno1abc123...

Wallet Operations

Check Balance

Query the wallet’s token balance with chain-specific denominations:

// Get ATOM balance on Cosmos Hub (default denomination)
let atomBalance = try await cosmosSigner.getBalance()
print("ATOM balance: \(atomBalance) uatom")

// Get OSMO balance on Osmosis (default denomination)
let osmoBalance = try await osmosSigner.getBalance()
print("OSMO balance: \(osmoBalance) uosmo")

// Get specific token balance with custom denomination
let usdcBalance = try await cosmosSigner.getBalance(denom: "ibc/498A0751C798A0D9A389AA3691123DADA57DAA4FE165D5C75894505B876BA6E4")
print("USDC balance: \(usdcBalance)")

Sign Transactions

The ParaCosmosSigner provides direct signing methods that return signature data without broadcasting. This follows the single responsibility principle - the signer signs, but doesn’t handle transaction construction or broadcasting:

// Sign with Direct method (recommended - modern protobuf approach)
let directSignDocBase64 = "..." // Your transaction's SignDoc encoded as base64
let directResult = try await cosmosSigner.signDirect(signDocBase64: directSignDocBase64)

// The result contains the signature and signed document
if let signature = directResult["signature"] as? [String: Any],
   let signatureData = signature["signature"] as? String {
    print("Direct signature: \(signatureData)")
}

// Sign with Amino method (legacy - for compatibility)
let aminoSignDocBase64 = "..." // Your amino SignDoc encoded as base64
let aminoResult = try await cosmosSigner.signAmino(signDocBase64: aminoSignDocBase64)

// Handle the amino signature result
if let signature = aminoResult["signature"] as? [String: Any],
   let signatureData = signature["signature"] as? String {
    print("Amino signature: \(signatureData)")
}

Transaction Signing Details

Bridge-Based Implementation

The ParaCosmosSigner uses a bridge-based implementation that delegates to CosmJS signers in the web environment, ensuring consistent behavior with the broader Cosmos ecosystem. This provides:

Direct access to CosmJS signing methods (cosmJsSignDirect, cosmJsSignAmino)
Proper protobuf and amino handling through proven CosmJS libraries
Cross-platform consistency between Swift and web implementations

Signing Methods

Para supports both Cosmos signing methods with clear terminology:

Direct Signing - Modern, efficient binary format using protobuf encoding (SIGN_MODE_DIRECT)
Amino Signing - Legacy JSON format for backward compatibility

Note: Direct signing is the protobuf-based signing method in CosmJS.

Creating SignDoc for Signing

To use the signing methods, you need to create properly formatted SignDoc objects:

// For Direct signing: create base64-encoded protobuf SignDoc
// This would typically be constructed using transaction building libraries
let directSignDocBase64 = createDirectSignDoc(
    chainId: "cosmoshub-4",
    accountNumber: 12345,
    sequence: 0,
    bodyBytes: txBodyBytes,
    authInfoBytes: authInfoBytes
)

// For Amino signing: create base64-encoded JSON SignDoc  
let aminoSignDoc = [
    "chain_id": "cosmoshub-4",
    "account_number": "12345", 
    "sequence": "0",
    "fee": ["amount": [["denom": "uatom", "amount": "5000"]], "gas": "200000"],
    "msgs": [/* your transaction messages */],
    "memo": "Demo transaction"
]
let aminoSignDocBase64 = try JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: aminoSignDoc)
    .base64EncodedString()

Message Signing

Sign arbitrary messages for authentication or verification:

let message = "Welcome to Para Cosmos!"
let signature = try await cosmosSigner.signMessage(message)
print("Message signature: \(signature.hexString())")

Error Handling

Handle Cosmos-specific errors appropriately:

do {
    let result = try await cosmosSigner.signDirect(signDocBase64: directSignDocBase64)
    // Handle successful signing
} catch ParaCosmosSignerError.missingWalletId {
    print("Please select a wallet first")
} catch ParaCosmosSignerError.invalidWalletAddress {
    print("Invalid Cosmos wallet address")
} catch ParaCosmosSignerError.protoSigningFailed(let underlyingError) {
    print("Direct signing failed: \(underlyingError?.localizedDescription ?? "Unknown error")")
} catch ParaCosmosSignerError.aminoSigningFailed(let underlyingError) {
    print("Amino signing failed: \(underlyingError?.localizedDescription ?? "Unknown error")")
} catch ParaCosmosSignerError.bridgeError(let message) {
    print("Bridge communication error: \(message)")
} catch {
    print("Unexpected error: \(error)")
}

Chain Configuration Examples

Here are complete examples for each supported chain with reliable RPC endpoints:

Cosmos Hub Mainnet (Recommended)

let cosmosSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "cosmoshub-4",
    rpcUrl: "https://cosmos-rpc.publicnode.com",
    prefix: "cosmos"
)

Osmosis Mainnet

let osmosSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "osmosis-1",
    rpcUrl: "https://osmosis-rpc.publicnode.com",
    prefix: "osmo"
)

Juno Mainnet

let junoSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "juno-1",
    rpcUrl: "https://rpc-juno.itastakers.com",
    prefix: "juno"
)

Stargaze Mainnet

let stargazeSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "stargaze-1",
    rpcUrl: "https://rpc.stargaze-apis.com",
    prefix: "stars"
)

Cosmos Testnet

let testnetSigner = try ParaCosmosSigner(
    paraManager: paraManager,
    chainId: "provider",
    rpcUrl: "https://rpc.provider-state-sync-01.rs-testnet.polypore.xyz",
    prefix: "cosmos"
)

Important Notes

Chain-Specific Configuration

Each chain requires specific configuration parameters:

Chain ID: The unique identifier for the network (e.g., “cosmoshub-4”, “osmosis-1”)
Prefix: The bech32 address prefix (e.g., “cosmos”, “osmo”, “juno”, “stars”)
RPC URL: The Tendermint RPC endpoint for the specific chain

RPC Endpoints

Para uses reliable, CORS-enabled RPC endpoints optimized for mobile applications:

✅ PublicNode endpoints (recommended): https://cosmos-rpc.publicnode.com
✅ ITAStakers endpoints: https://rpc-juno.itastakers.com
✅ Official chain endpoints: https://rpc.stargaze-apis.com

These endpoints are specifically chosen for:

SSL/TLS compatibility with mobile environments
CORS support for browser and mobile app usage
High availability and reliability
No rate limiting for development usage

API Design Philosophy

The ParaCosmosSigner follows single responsibility principle:

Focused on signing only - doesn’t handle transaction construction or broadcasting
Clean separation of concerns - signing vs. transaction building vs. broadcasting
Direct access to CosmJS methods - signDirect() and signAmino()
Minimal surface area - easier to understand and maintain

This approach provides:

Flexibility for advanced transaction construction
Compatibility with existing Cosmos tooling
Clarity about what each method does
Maintainability through focused responsibilities

Performance Considerations

Direct signing is generally faster and more efficient than Amino
Bridge architecture provides direct access to proven CosmJS implementations
CORS-enabled endpoints eliminate connection issues in mobile environments
Mainnet defaults provide more reliable service than testnets

Next Steps

API Reference

Explore the complete ParaCosmosSigner API documentation

Swift Examples

See Cosmos integration in our Swift example app

Introduction

Setup

Guides

API & Troubleshooting

Cosmos Integration

Overview

Supported Chains

Quick Start

1. Initialize ParaCosmosSigner

2. Select a Wallet

3. Get Wallet Address

Wallet Operations

Check Balance

Sign Transactions

Transaction Signing Details

Bridge-Based Implementation

Signing Methods

Creating SignDoc for Signing

Message Signing

Error Handling

Chain Configuration Examples

Cosmos Hub Mainnet (Recommended)

Osmosis Mainnet

Juno Mainnet

Stargaze Mainnet

Cosmos Testnet

Important Notes

Chain-Specific Configuration

RPC Endpoints

API Design Philosophy

Performance Considerations

Next Steps

API Reference

Swift Examples

Introduction

Setup

Guides

API & Troubleshooting

​Overview

​Supported Chains

​Quick Start

​1. Initialize ParaCosmosSigner

​2. Select a Wallet

​3. Get Wallet Address

​Wallet Operations

​Check Balance

​Sign Transactions

​Transaction Signing Details

​Bridge-Based Implementation

​Signing Methods

​Creating SignDoc for Signing

​Message Signing

​Error Handling

​Chain Configuration Examples

​Cosmos Hub Mainnet (Recommended)

​Osmosis Mainnet

​Juno Mainnet

​Stargaze Mainnet

​Cosmos Testnet

​Important Notes

​Chain-Specific Configuration

​RPC Endpoints

​API Design Philosophy

​Performance Considerations

​Next Steps

API Reference

Swift Examples

Overview

Supported Chains

Quick Start

1. Initialize ParaCosmosSigner

2. Select a Wallet

3. Get Wallet Address

Wallet Operations

Check Balance

Sign Transactions

Transaction Signing Details

Bridge-Based Implementation

Signing Methods

Creating SignDoc for Signing

Message Signing

Error Handling

Chain Configuration Examples

Cosmos Hub Mainnet (Recommended)

Osmosis Mainnet

Juno Mainnet

Stargaze Mainnet

Cosmos Testnet

Important Notes

Chain-Specific Configuration

RPC Endpoints

API Design Philosophy

Performance Considerations

Next Steps