Stargate vs CosmWasm

The two client families are parallel implementations, not a parent-child relationship. They share the same patterns and reuse types from @cosmjs/stargate, but CosmWasmClient does not extend StargateClient.

	Stargate	CosmWasm
Read-only client	`StargateClient`	`CosmWasmClient`
Signing client	`SigningStargateClient`	`SigningCosmWasmClient`
Package	`@cosmjs/stargate`	`@cosmjs/cosmwasm`
Query extensions	Auth, Bank, Staking, Tx	Auth, Bank, Wasm, Tx
Staking queries	Yes (`getBalanceStaked`, `getDelegation`)	No
Smart contract queries	No	Yes (`queryContractSmart`, `getContract`, etc.)
Smart contract transactions	No	Yes (`upload`, `instantiate`, `execute`, `migrate`)
Default registry	Standard Cosmos SDK types	Cosmos SDK + CosmWasm types
Default amino types	Standard converters	Standard + CosmWasm converters

Which Should I Use?

Standard Cosmos SDK chain (Cosmos Hub, etc.) — use @cosmjs/stargate
CosmWasm-enabled chain (Osmosis, Neutron, etc.) — use @cosmjs/cosmwasm

SigningCosmWasmClient is a superset in terms of transaction types: it can send tokens, delegate, and do everything SigningStargateClient can, plus interact with smart contracts. If your chain supports CosmWasm and you need contract interaction, use the CosmWasm client for everything.

Custom Messages

Both signing clients support custom message types through the Registry:

import { DirectSecp256k1HdWallet, Registry } from "@cosmjs/proto-signing";
import { defaultRegistryTypes, GasPrice, SigningStargateClient } from "@cosmjs/stargate";
// Generated message type from your own chain's protos:
import { MsgDoSomething } from "./generated/my/custom/v1/tx";

const endpoint = "https://rpc.my-chain.network";
const wallet = await DirectSecp256k1HdWallet.fromMnemonic("your mnemonic ...", {
  prefix: "cosmos",
});
const [{ address }] = await wallet.getAccounts();

const registry = new Registry(defaultRegistryTypes);
registry.register("/my.custom.v1.MsgDoSomething", MsgDoSomething);

const client = await SigningStargateClient.connectWithSigner(endpoint, wallet, {
  registry,
  gasPrice: GasPrice.fromString("0.025uatom"),
});

await client.signAndBroadcast(address, [
  {
    typeUrl: "/my.custom.v1.MsgDoSomething",
    value: MsgDoSomething.fromPartial({ sender: address, data: "hello" }),
  },
], "auto");

CosmJS

Concepts

Guides

API Reference

Which Should I Use?

Custom Messages

​Which Should I Use?

​Custom Messages

Which Should I Use?

Custom Messages