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> Source: [/docs/zones/connect](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/connect.md)
> Section: [Zones](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones.md). Connect to a Zone and work with private balances, deposits, and withdrawals. Zones is in limited preview; see the introduction for access. Earlier testnet sandbox guides describe a separate integration.
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<span id="connect-to-a-zone" />

# Connect to a Zone

Authenticate your application's access to one Zone deployment.

## Overview

To connect, get the deployment details from the operator, sign an authorization token, and check the chain ID. A Zone is its own network with its own chain ID, not a privacy setting on a Tempo account.

You need a [Tempo account signer](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/accounts/keys). The Viem and Wagmi examples import `zoneChain` and `zoneConfig` from [Client Setup](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/examples).

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## Setup

::::steps
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<span id="get-connection-details" />

<span id="check-supported-operations" />

<span id="supported-operations" />

### Get the Deployment Details

Get the configuration from the operator, or [contact Tempo](https://tempo.xyz/contact). Ask for the Zone RPC endpoint, chain ID, Zone ID, portal address, enabled assets, supported SDK or contract interfaces, and endpoint access credentials.

Ask the operator or your wallet provider about three controls:

| Control | What to ask |
| --- | --- |
| **Signing authority** | Which account keys or provider interface sign deposits and withdrawals. |
| **Read access** | Which credentials let your application read balances and activity, and which accounts they expose. |
| **Funding rules** | Which assets, depositors, withdrawal recipients, refunds, and callbacks the deployment permits. |

These steps use the account-scoped, redacted Zone RPC. Operator RPC is a separate interface.

The current permissioned runtime moves tokens only through deposits and withdrawals. It disables general TIP-20 transfer calls and user contract deployment, as the [execution rules](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/protocol/zones/execution) describe.

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<span id="authenticate-rpc-requests" />

### Authorize Access

An authorization token is a signed credential that proves control of the account. Sign it with the account key and send it in the `X-Authorization-Token` header on every Zone RPC request. It authenticates RPC requests only. Transactions still need their own signatures, and the endpoint still needs its access credentials.

With Viem, sign with your account and the Zone chain from [Client Setup](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/examples). Set `ZONE_ID` to the operator-provided Zone ID. The code signs locally and submits no transaction.

```ts [Viem]
import { createClient } from 'viem/tempo'
import { zoneChain } from './zone.config'
const client = createClient({ account, chain: zoneChain })
const { token } = await client.zone.signAuthorizationToken({
  zoneId: Number(process.env.ZONE_ID),
  expiresAt: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) + 3600,
})
```

Use the returned `token` as `ZONE_AUTH_TOKEN`. Keep it private and renew it before expiry. Other signers must follow the [authorization token format](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/protocol/zones/rpc#authorization-tokens). The operator sets the maximum token lifetime.

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### Check the Connection

Set `ZONE_RPC_URL` to the deployment's endpoint and `ZONE_AUTH_TOKEN` to the signed token. TypeScript uses `viem` (`pnpm add viem`). Python uses `requests` (`pip install requests`). CLI examples use [Foundry](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/sdk/foundry).

These examples run on your backend. The Wagmi example uses core actions with `zoneConfig`. Keep shared operator credentials out of browser code.

:::code-group
```ts [Viem]
import { createPublicClient, http } from 'viem'
import { tempoActions } from 'viem/tempo'
const zone = createPublicClient({
  transport: http(process.env.ZONE_RPC_URL, {
    fetchOptions: { headers: { 'X-Authorization-Token': process.env.ZONE_AUTH_TOKEN! } },
  }),
}).extend(tempoActions())
console.log(await zone.getChainId())
```

```ts [Wagmi]
import { getPublicClient } from '@wagmi/core'
import { zoneConfig } from './zone.config'
const chainId = await getPublicClient(zoneConfig)!.getChainId()
```

```python [Python]
import os, requests
zone_rpc_url = os.environ["ZONE_RPC_URL"]
zone = requests.Session()
zone.headers["X-Authorization-Token"] = os.environ["ZONE_AUTH_TOKEN"]
response = zone.post(zone_rpc_url, json={
    "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "eth_chainId", "params": []
})
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json())
```

```bash [CLI]
cast chain-id --rpc-url "$ZONE_RPC_URL" \
  --rpc-headers "X-Authorization-Token: $ZONE_AUTH_TOKEN"
```
:::

Reuse `zone` in the TypeScript and Python [balance examples](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/balances). A successful HTTP request can still contain a JSON-RPC error, so check raw responses for `error` before you use `result`.

Compare the returned chain ID with the operator-provided configuration. Keep separate clients for public Tempo and the Zone's private ledger. Use the correct chain ID when you prepare signatures and calls.
::::

## Related

[Client Setup](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/examples): Use for configuring the Zone chain and Wagmi client that the guides import.

[RPC Reference](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/protocol/zones/rpc): Covers per-account scoping, response redaction, and the authorization token format.

[Connect to the Sandbox](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/guide/private-zones/connect-to-a-zone): Use for trying the connection with test funds in the testnet sandbox.

[Deposit Into a Zone](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/zones/deposit): Use for funding the private account through the portal on Tempo.

[Testnet Sandbox](https://tempo.xyz/developers/docs/guide/private-zones): Covers the earlier testnet deployment and how it differs from current deployments.