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Building with Expo

This guide will walk you through integrating Chipi Pay into your Expo application with biometric authentication and secure storage. We’ll cover everything from installation to implementing secure payment flows.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 16 or later
  • Expo CLI
  • Basic knowledge of React Native
  • A Chipi Pay account
  • Clerk account for authentication
  • Device with biometric authentication support (for biometric features)

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Getting Started

To get started with Chipi Pay in your Expo application, you’ll need to have a basic Expo project set up. If you don’t have one yet, you can create it using: 
npx create-expo-app my-chipi-app
cd my-chipi-app

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Installation

First, install the required packages: 
# Install Chipi Pay SDK
npx expo install @chipi-pay/chipi-expo

# Install Clerk and authentication packages
npx expo install @clerk/clerk-expo expo-secure-store expo-web-browser

# Install biometric authentication package
npx expo install expo-local-authentication

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Configuration

  1. Create a .env file in your project root and add your API keys:
EXPO_PUBLIC_CHIPI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=your_clerk_publishable_key
  1. Update your app.json to include the required permissions:
{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-secure-store",
        {
          "faceIDPermission": "Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your Face ID biometric data."
        }
      ]
    ],
    "ios": {
      "infoPlist": {
        "NSFaceIDUsageDescription": "Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your Face ID biometric data."
      }
    }
  }
}

​
Implementing Secure Authentication Flow

  1. Initialize the SDKs with secure storage:
// App.tsx
import { ClerkProvider } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { ChipiProvider } from "@chipi-pay/chipi-expo";
import { tokenCache } from "@clerk/clerk-expo/token-cache";

export default function App() {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider 
      publishableKey={process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY}
      tokenCache={tokenCache}
    >
      <ChipiProvider apiKey={process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CHIPI_API_KEY}>
        <YourApp />
      </ChipiProvider>
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
}

​
Setting up Secure Storage and Biometric Authentication

  1. Create a secure storage utility:
// utils/secureStorage.ts
import * as SecureStore from 'expo-secure-store';
import * as LocalAuthentication from 'expo-local-authentication';
import type { WalletData } from '@chipi-pay/chipi-expo';

export const saveWalletStorage = async (pin: string, walletData: WalletData) => {
  await SecureStore.setItemAsync(
    "wallet",
    JSON.stringify(walletData.wallet)
  );
  await SecureStore.setItemAsync("wallet_pin", pin, {
    requireAuthentication: true,
  });
}

export const savePinStorage = async (pin: string) => {
  await SecureStore.setItemAsync("wallet_pin", pin, {
    requireAuthentication: true,
  });
}

export const getPinStorage = async () => {
  return await SecureStore.getItemAsync("wallet_pin");
}

export const getWalletStorage = async () => {
  return await SecureStore.getItemAsync("wallet");
}

export const deleteSecureItem = async (key: string) => {
  try {
    await SecureStore.deleteItemAsync(key);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error deleting secure item:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

export const isBiometricAvailable = async () => {
  const compatible = await LocalAuthentication.hasHardwareAsync();
  const enrolled = await LocalAuthentication.isEnrolledAsync();
  return compatible && enrolled;
}

​
Implementing Secure Transfer Flow

Here’s an example of implementing a secure transfer flow with biometric authentication: 
// screens/TransferScreen.tsx
import { useState } from "react";
import { View, Button, Alert, TextInput } from "react-native";
import { useTransfer } from "@chipi-pay/chipi-expo";
import { useAuth } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { getWalletStorage, getPinStorage, isBiometricAvailable } from "../utils/secureStorage";

// Constants
export const USDC_CONTRACT = "0x053c91253bc9682c04929ca02ed00b3e423f6710d2ee7e0d5ebb06f3ecf368a8";

function TransferScreen() {
  const { transferAsync } = useTransfer();
  const { getToken } = useAuth();
  const [amount, setAmount] = useState("");
  const [recipientAddress, setRecipientAddress] = useState("");
  const [isProcessing, setIsProcessing] = useState(false);
  const [error, setError] = useState("");

  const handleTransfer = async () => {
    try {
      setIsProcessing(true);
      setError("");

      // Check if biometric authentication is available
      const isBiometricAvailable = await isBiometricAvailable();
      if (!isBiometricAvailable) {
        setError("Biometric authentication is not available on this device");
        return;
      }

      // Get stored wallet and PIN
      const storedWallet = await getWalletStorage();
      if (!storedWallet) {
        setError("No wallet found. Please create a wallet first.");
        return;
      }

      const pin = await getPinStorage();
      if (!pin) {
        setError("No PIN found");
        return;
      }

      // Get the bearer token
      const token = await getToken({ template: "chipi-sdk-expo" });
      if (!token) {
        setError("No bearer token found");
        return;
      }

      // Execute transfer
      const transferResponse = await transferAsync({
        encryptKey: pin,
        bearerToken: token,
        wallet: JSON.parse(storedWallet),
        contractAddress: USDC_CONTRACT,
        recipient: recipientAddress,
        amount: parseFloat(amount),
        decimals: 6,
      });

      Alert.alert("Success", "Transfer completed successfully");
      
      // Clear form
      setAmount("");
      setRecipientAddress("");
    } catch (error) {
      setError(error.message || "Transfer failed");
      Alert.alert("Error", error.message || "Transfer failed");
    } finally {
      setIsProcessing(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <View style={{ padding: 20 }}>
      {error ? <Text style={{ color: 'red', marginBottom: 10 }}>{error}</Text> : null}
      
      <TextInput
        style={{ borderWidth: 1, padding: 10, marginBottom: 10 }}
        placeholder="Recipient Address"
        value={recipientAddress}
        onChangeText={setRecipientAddress}
      />
      
      <TextInput
        style={{ borderWidth: 1, padding: 10, marginBottom: 10 }}
        placeholder="Amount"
        value={amount}
        onChangeText={setAmount}
        keyboardType="numeric"
      />
      
      <Button 
        title={isProcessing ? "Processing..." : "Make Transfer"} 
        onPress={handleTransfer}
        disabled={isProcessing || !amount || !recipientAddress}
      />
    </View>
  );
}

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Next Steps

  • Add error handling and loading states
  • Customize the UI to match your app’s design
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