getKeypair

Defined in the Base Account SDK

Retrieves an existing P256 key pair if one has been previously generated and stored. This is useful for checking if keys already exist before generating new ones.

Parameters

This function takes no parameters.

Returns

P256KeyPair | null

The stored P256 key pair or null if no key pair exists.

Show P256KeyPair properties

string

The public key for the stored pair in hexadecimal format.

string

The private key for the stored pair. Handle with extreme care.

import { getKeypair } from '@base-org/account';

const existingKeyPair = await getKeypair();
if (existingKeyPair) {
  console.log('Found existing key pair');
} else {
  console.log('No existing key pair found');
}

import { getKeypair, generateKeyPair } from '@base-org/account';

let keyPair = await getKeypair();
if (!keyPair) {
  keyPair = await generateKeyPair();
}

{
  publicKey: "0x04a1b2c3d4e5f6...",
  privateKey: "0x1a2b3c4d5e6f7a..."
}

null

Private Key AccessThe retrieved private keys should be handled with the same security considerations as newly generated keys.

Get or Create Pattern

A common pattern is to check for existing keys before generating new ones:

import { getKeypair, generateKeyPair } from '@base-org/account';

async function getOrCreateKeyPair() {
  // Try to get existing key pair first
  let keyPair = await getKeypair();
  
  if (!keyPair) {
    // Generate new key pair if none exists
    console.log('No existing key pair, generating new one...');
    keyPair = await generateKeyPair();
  } else {
    console.log('Using existing key pair');
  }
  
  return keyPair;
}

Storage Behavior

The getKeypair function retrieves keys from:

Browser’s secure storage (for web applications)
Platform-specific secure storage (for native applications)
Memory cache (for the current session)

Key pairs are stored securely and are only accessible within the same origin and application context.

Error Handling

The getKeypair function can throw errors for:

Storage access failures
Data corruption issues
Browser compatibility problems

Always wrap calls to getKeypair in a try-catch block:

try {
  const keyPair = await getKeypair();
  if (keyPair) {
    // Use existing keys
  } else {
    // No keys found, may need to generate new ones
  }
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error accessing key storage:', error);
  // Handle storage access errors
}

Key Lifecycle Management

class KeyManager {
  private keyPair: P256KeyPair | null = null;
  
  async initialize() {
    try {
      // Load existing keys
      this.keyPair = await getKeypair();
      
      if (this.keyPair) {
        console.log('Loaded existing key pair');
      } else {
        console.log('No stored keys found');
      }
      
      return !!this.keyPair;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Failed to initialize key manager:', error);
      return false;
    }
  }
  
  hasKeys(): boolean {
    return !!this.keyPair;
  }
  
  async ensureKeys(): Promise<P256KeyPair> {
    if (!this.keyPair) {
      console.log('Generating new key pair...');
      this.keyPair = await generateKeyPair();
    }
    return this.keyPair;
  }
  
  getPublicKey(): string | null {
    return this.keyPair?.publicKey || null;
  }
}

Security Considerations

Private Key AccessThe retrieved private keys should be handled with the same security considerations as newly generated keys.

Always verify key integrity before use
Implement proper access controls
Consider re-generating keys periodically for enhanced security

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Parameters

Returns

Get or Create Pattern

Storage Behavior

Error Handling

Key Lifecycle Management

Security Considerations

​Parameters

​Returns

​Get or Create Pattern

​Storage Behavior

​Error Handling

​Key Lifecycle Management

​Security Considerations

Parameters

Returns

Get or Create Pattern

Storage Behavior

Error Handling

Key Lifecycle Management

Security Considerations