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.
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 many EVM networks.
Under the hood, each Base Account is an ERC-4337 Smart Wallet that can be deployed on any EVM-compatible chain; many EVM mainnet chains are enabled out of the box, including Base Mainnet.
Supported networksFull support
- Mainnet: Base • Arbitrum • Optimism • Zora • Polygon • BNB Chain • Avalanche • Ethereum
- Testnet: Base Sepolia • Sepolia
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.
Next steps
| Goal | Start here |
|---|---|
| Build & run in 5 min | Quickstart |
| Authentication flow | Authenticate users |
| Accept USDC payments on Base | Accept payments |
| Deep-dive API shapes | TypeScript API reference |