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> This can work because the browser provides the secure separation between app and wallet. I thought the app and wallet were the same thing. What's the differ

> This can work because the browser provides the secure separation between app and wallet. I thought the app and wallet were the same thing. What's the difference here?

derefr 4y ago
The "app" (Distributed App / DApp) is some arbitrary thing written by a developer, running in a sandbox in a tab in your browser. The "wallet" (Metamask) is a browser extension containing a set of pairs of (RPC gateway URI for a given blockchain, cryptographic private key for an account on said blockchain.) It can also proxy through to other such "wallets", e.g. "hardware wallets" (smart cards.) "web3" is an API (like any DOM API) that the browser extension exposes to app, allowing the app to ask the wallet to do things (where the wallet then asks the user to confirm that they want to do those things); and, through the wallet's connection to blockchains, to watch for things to happen on a blockchain. Together, these additional APIs allow web3 "DApps" to transact on blockchains, and to observe what happens in response to their transactions. Example DApps: - Gnosis Safe (https://gnosis-safe.io/ https://gnosis-safe.io/) — an interface for deploying and managing multi-signature smart contracts (i.e. trusts whose assets are controlled by M-of-N voting) - Sushiswap (https://www.sushi.com/swap https://www.sushi.com/swap) — an interface for creating and managing Automated Market Maker liquidity pools - OpenSea (https://opensea.io/ https://opensea.io/) — a marketplace for buying and selling NFTs On all of these websites, you'll notice that instead of registering an account, there is a button that CTAs you to "Connect a Wallet." This is requesting permission to communicate with the web3 agent installed as an extension in your browser.