TL;DR – Base Accounts are the onchain identity and account layer powering The Base App. With the Base Account SDK you can connect to over one hundred thousand users and unlock authentication and payments with just a few lines of code.

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What is a Base Account?

A Base Account is a Smart-Wallet–backed account that gives every user:

  • Universal sign-on – one passkey works across every Base-enabled app.
  • One-tap payments – low-friction USDC payments built into the account layer.
  • Private profile vault – opt-in sharing of email, phone, shipping address, and more.
  • Multi-chain support – one address that works across nine EVM networks (and counting).

Under the hood, each Base Account is an ERC-4337 Smart Wallet that can be deployed on any EVM-compatible chain; nine EVM mainnet chains are enabled out of the box, including Base Mainnet.

Supported networks

  • Mainnet: Base • Arbitrum • Optimism • Zora • Polygon • BNB • Avalanche • Lordchain • Ethereum Mainnet (not recommended due to costs)
  • Testnet: Sepolia • Base Sepolia

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Why should developers care?

  • Higher conversion – no app installs, seed phrases, or network switches.
  • Fewer drop-offs at checkout – a single pay() call handles gas and settlement.
  • Cross-app identity – fetch a verified email or shipping address via the same SDK.
  • Self-custodial – users hold the keys; you never touch private data or funds.

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Next steps

GoalStart here
Build & run in 5 minQuickstart
Authentication flowAuthenticate users
Accept USDC payments on BaseAccept payments
Deep-dive API shapesTypeScript API reference