Core Concepts

Before diving into SwapKit’s features, it’s essential to understand its core concepts. These building blocks are used throughout the SDK and understanding them will make your development experience much smoother.

AssetValue

AssetValue is SwapKit’s primary way of representing amounts of any asset across all supported chains. It handles decimal precision, formatting, and arithmetic operations automatically.

Creating AssetValue

import { AssetValue } from '@swapkit/sdk';

// From decimal value (what users see)
const oneEth = AssetValue.from({ 
  asset: 'ETH.ETH', 
  value: 1 
});

// From base units (wei, satoshi, etc.)
const oneEthInWei = AssetValue.from({ 
  asset: 'ETH.ETH', 
  value: '1000000000000000000',
  fromBaseDecimal: true 
});

// Both create the same AssetValue representing 1 ETH

Asset Notation

SwapKit uses a consistent format for identifying assets:

// Native assets: CHAIN.SYMBOL
'ETH.ETH'         // Native Ethereum
'BTC.BTC'         // Native Bitcoin
'AVAX.AVAX'       // Native Avalanche

// Tokens: CHAIN.SYMBOL-CONTRACT
'ETH.USDC-0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48'     // USDC on Ethereum
'AVAX.USDC-0xB97EF9Ef8734C71904D8002F8b6Bc66Dd9c48a6E'    // USDC on Avalanche

// Synthetic assets (THORChain)
'ETH/ETH'         // Synthetic ETH
'BTC/BTC'         // Synthetic BTC

Arithmetic Operations

AssetValue provides safe arithmetic operations:

const amount1 = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH.ETH', value: 1.5 });
const amount2 = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH.ETH', value: 0.5 });

// Addition
const sum = amount1.add(amount2); // 2 ETH

// Subtraction
const difference = amount1.sub(amount2); // 1 ETH

// Multiplication
const doubled = amount1.mul(2); // 3 ETH

// Division
const halved = amount1.div(2); // 0.75 ETH

Comparisons

Compare AssetValue instances safely:

const amount1 = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'BTC.BTC', value: 1 });
const amount2 = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'BTC.BTC', value: 0.5 });

amount1.gt(amount2);   // true - greater than
amount1.gte(amount2);  // true - greater than or equal
amount1.lt(amount2);   // false - less than
amount1.lte(amount2);  // false - less than or equal
amount1.eq(amount2);   // false - equal

Formatting

Format values for display:

const btcAmount = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'BTC.BTC', value: 0.00123456 });

// Format with significant digits
btcAmount.toSignificant(4); // "0.001235"

// Format as currency
btcAmount.toCurrency('USD', 45000); // "$55.56"

// Format with abbreviation
const largeAmount = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH.ETH', value: 1234567 });
largeAmount.toAbbreviation(); // "1.23M"

// Get raw values
btcAmount.getValue('string'); // "0.00123456"
btcAmount.getBaseValue('string'); // "123456" (in satoshis)

Type Checks

Check asset properties:

const ethAmount = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH.ETH', value: 1 });
const usdcAmount = AssetValue.from({ 
  asset: 'ETH.USDC-0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48', 
  value: 100 
});
const synthEth = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH/ETH', value: 1 });

ethAmount.isGasAsset();   // true - native asset
usdcAmount.isGasAsset();  // false - token
synthEth.isSynthetic();   // true - synthetic asset

SwapKitNumber

SwapKitNumber provides utilities for safe numeric operations with BigInt support:

import { SwapKitNumber } from '@swapkit/sdk';

// Create from various inputs
const num1 = new SwapKitNumber(123.456);
const num2 = new SwapKitNumber('789.012');
const num3 = new SwapKitNumber({ value: 100, decimal: 18 });

// Arithmetic operations
const sum = num1.add(num2);
const product = num1.mul(num2);

// Formatting
num1.toSignificant(4); // "123.5"
num1.toFixed(2); // "123.46"

Chain Types

SwapKit uses consistent chain identifiers across the entire SDK:

import { Chain } from '@swapkit/sdk';

// EVM Chains
Chain.Ethereum         // "ETH"
Chain.Avalanche       // "AVAX"
Chain.BinanceSmartChain // "BSC"
Chain.Polygon         // "MATIC"
Chain.Arbitrum        // "ARB"
Chain.Optimism        // "OP"
Chain.Base            // "BASE"

// UTXO Chains
Chain.Bitcoin         // "BTC"
Chain.BitcoinCash     // "BCH"
Chain.Litecoin        // "LTC"
Chain.Dogecoin        // "DOGE"
Chain.Dash            // "DASH"
Chain.Zcash           // "ZEC"

// Cosmos Chains
Chain.Cosmos          // "GAIA"
Chain.THORChain       // "THOR"
Chain.Maya            // "MAYA"
Chain.Kujira          // "KUJI"

// Other Chains
Chain.Solana          // "SOL"
Chain.Polkadot        // "DOT"
Chain.Chainflip       // "FLIP"
Chain.Radix           // "XRD"
Chain.Ripple          // "XRP"

Error Handling

SwapKit uses a typed error system for better debugging:

SwapKitError

The base error class with additional context:

import { SwapKitError } from '@swapkit/sdk';

try {
  await swapKit.swap({ route });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof SwapKitError) {
    // Access error details
    console.error('Error:', error.message);
    console.error('Code:', error.code);
    console.error('Details:', error.details);
  }
}

Common Error Codes

SwapKit uses standardized error codes:

// Wallet errors
"wallet_not_found"
"wallet_connection_failed"
"wallet_insufficient_funds"

// Transaction errors
"transaction_failed"
"transaction_rejected"
"transaction_timeout"

// API errors
"api_request_failed"
"api_rate_limit"
"api_invalid_response"

// Validation errors
"invalid_address"
"invalid_amount"
"invalid_chain"

Error Context

Errors include helpful context:

catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof SwapKitError) {
    // Error might include:
    // - Transaction hash
    // - Chain information
    // - Wallet address
    // - API response
    console.log('Context:', error.info);
  }
}

Wallet Types

SwapKit supports various wallet types through the WalletOption enum:

import { WalletOption } from '@swapkit/sdk';

WalletOption.METAMASK
WalletOption.COINBASE
WalletOption.OKX
WalletOption.BITGET
WalletOption.EXODUS
WalletOption.KEPLR
WalletOption.LEAP
WalletOption.COSMOSTATION
WalletOption.LEDGER
WalletOption.TREZOR
WalletOption.KEEPKEY
WalletOption.WALLETCONNECT
WalletOption.KEYSTORE
WalletOption.POLKADOTJS
WalletOption.TALISMAN
WalletOption.PHANTOM
WalletOption.ONEKEY
WalletOption.RADIX_MOBILE
WalletOption.BRAVE
WalletOption.TRUSTWALLET
WalletOption.XDEFI

Fee Options

Control transaction fees with the FeeOption enum:

import { FeeOption } from '@swapkit/sdk';

// Available fee options
FeeOption.Average  // Standard fee
FeeOption.Fast     // 1.5x standard
FeeOption.Fastest  // 2x standard

// Usage
await swapKit.transfer({
  assetValue,
  recipient,
  feeOptionKey: FeeOption.Fast
});

Provider Types

SwapKit integrates with multiple swap providers:

import { ProviderName } from '@swapkit/sdk';

ProviderName.THORCHAIN
ProviderName.CHAINFLIP
ProviderName.ONEINCH
ProviderName.UNISWAP
ProviderName.SUSHISWAP
ProviderName.PANCAKESWAP

Best Practices

1. Always Use AssetValue for Amounts

// ✅ Good
const amount = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'ETH.ETH', value: 1 });
await swapKit.transfer({ assetValue: amount, recipient });

// ❌ Bad - Don't use raw numbers
await swapKit.transfer({ value: 1, recipient });

2. Handle Decimal Precision

// AssetValue handles decimals automatically
const usdcAmount = AssetValue.from({ 
  asset: 'ETH.USDC-0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48',
  value: 100 // This is 100 USDC, not 100 * 10^6
});

// For base units, specify fromBaseDecimal
const weiAmount = AssetValue.from({
  asset: 'ETH.ETH',
  value: '1000000000000000000',
  fromBaseDecimal: true // This is 1 ETH in wei
});

3. Compare Assets Safely

// ✅ Good - Use AssetValue comparison methods
if (balance.gte(requiredAmount)) {
  await performTransaction();
}

// ❌ Bad - Don't compare raw values
if (Number(balance.getValue()) >= Number(requiredAmount.getValue())) {
  await performTransaction();
}

4. Format for Display

// Use formatting methods for UI display
const btcBalance = AssetValue.from({ asset: 'BTC.BTC', value: 0.00123456 });

// For display
const displayValue = btcBalance.toSignificant(6); // "0.00123456"

// For USD value
const usdValue = btcBalance.toCurrency('USD', btcPrice); // "$55.56"

Next Steps

Now that you understand the core concepts:

1. Set up your Configuration
2. Learn about Toolbox Usage for direct chain operations
3. Start Building Your First App