Using Coinbase ETH Wallet to save contracts/send transactions with web3

Question

I am working on a node app where I am using web3, Infura & truffle-hdwallet-provider & a new MetaMask wallet. This process appears to work & I can successfully deploy contracts!

I want to know if it is possible to deploy contracts & send transactions with a Coinbase ETH account (instead of my new MetaMask one)?

The truffle-hdwallet-provider package requires a mnemonic to authorise the wallet, but, is this possible with a coinbase account I cannot seem to see this or a private key in my dashboard?

One post I have found touches upon this where they suggest it's possible if I "unlock" the account using a password, which is insecure if using a http "provider" Judging from the warnings regarding unlocking accounts, I think I should avoid this method If I was to simply use a https provider, would this be suitable or still insecure & undesirable for production?

If I were to use this method, would the password for my Coinbase ETH Wallet simply be my account password?

I appreciate I have asked a few questions here.

Answer 1

We have to make a clear distinction between the centralised Coinbase Ether wallet and their recent Ethereum-native wallet called Coinbase Wallet (previously Toshi).

Coinbase Ether

You'll never ever be able to deploy anything from Coinbase's dashboard wallet. It is a centralised app, using traditional web technologies and it's most likely secured by a multisignature wallet owned by Coinbase's shareholders and trusted members.

Coinbase Wallet

You can do whatever you want because this is a different product, a wallet for Ethereum decentralised apps. You can create a new HD wallet and a new mnemonic will be generated for you. Just copy and paste that securely in a .env file. You can install dotenv to safely manage the variables if you're using node.