What is MetaMask?
MetaMask is a non-custodial wallet. Meaning you, and only you, control your private keys.
It stores: Your cryptocurrency assets. Like, ETH, tokens, NFTs. Your private keys and seed phrase, your network settings. Like Ethereum main-net, test-nets or custom chains.
_This is all managed through a secret recovery phrase that the user must store securely offline. _
How does it work?
When you install MetaMask. Either as a Chrome, Firefox or Brave extension or mobile app. You generate a wallet with a 12-word seed phrase, this being your master key. The wallet then derives your Ethereum address 0x123...
When you connect to a dApp, the site will then request permission from your MetaMask.
It functions as a crypto wallet, where users can hold, send, and receive digital currencies and NFTs.
When you sign transactions or messages, MetaMask pops up to confirm before anything happens on-chain. It then sends your signed transaction to the blockchain through a node. It simplifies the interaction with decentralized applications by acting as an intermediary between the user and the dApps on the web3 network.
What can you do with MetaMask?
- Send & receive tokens.
- Store NFTs.
- Swap tokens directly inside MetaMask.
- Connect to dApps.
- Use test-nets for development.
Core Technologies Behind It.
Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) Wallets, generate infinite addresses from one seed phrase.
- Ethereum JSON-RPC API, standard protocol for communicating with Ethereum nodes.
- EIP-1559 Transactions, MetaMask handles the gas fee model introduced by Ethereum’s London upgrade.
- Browser Integration (Web3 provider), gives dApps controlled access to your wallet through 'window.ethereum.'
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Top comments (1)
Wallets like MetaMask showed how user-controlled access can redefine trust in Web3. The next step is when the same principle extends to AI models, letting them hold value, verify computation, and even transact autonomously. The future feels closer than it seems.