Web3 wallet ‐ How‐to
Web3 refers to the new era of the internet, the decentralised web, where users are the owners of their identities. In this new era transparency and security of operations are secured through the usage of blockchain technology, a core part of Web3. To get access to the decentralised internet i.e. Web3, users need to acquire new decentralised identities. These identities consist of a pair of cryptographic keys according to the public key encryption concepts. Users have a public key, that acts like their identity in the decentralised world. You can think of it like a web3 username. Other users can use it to send them assets. They can have access to these assets using their private key that only they know and should be kept secret at all times. In case a user "loses" their private key, access to their wallet is lost forever.
Web3 wallets (or digital wallets) are pieces of software that hold information about the user's public and private key. This way they allow users to interact with web3 and consequently blockchain networks. Therefore, web3 wallets can give you access to your blockchain-based funds, like cryptocurrency assets, or NFTs.
Under the context of XR2Learn a popular and widely spread browser-based wallet is used to allow easy access to the platform's blockchain functionalities, namely MetaMask. Over the following sections you will learn how to install and configure it.
To install MetaMask visit https://metamask.io/download/. It is a browser extension and supports the following browsers:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Brave
- Opera
- Edge
If your browser is supported, you can proceed with the installation of MetaMask.
After successful installation, you should be able to see the extension on your browser with the red fox icon, similarly as in the following figure.
Figure 1 Metamask Extension
For the next step open the extension to proceed with the account creation and the configuration.
Opening the extension you should be greeted by the "Let's get started page". To proceed you should click on the checkbox to agree with the Terms of use of MetaMask and press the button "Create a new wallet".
Figure 2 Let's get started page
Afterwards you are prompted to choose the level of security you prefer for your wallet. Choosing the most secure option will add an extra step in the process but it will enable you to recover your wallet through setting up a Secret Recovery Phrase that consists of a series of random words. You should save the Secret Recovery Phrase through a method of your choosing, and after verifying it you should have successfully created your wallet.
Figure 2 Successful wallet creation
XR2Learn supports two blockchain networks, Ethereum and Polygon. Ethereum is the most decentralised blockchain network with the largest user-base, so it can be a good choice for those who want their assets to have the biggest reach, but it is accompanied by rather large costs. Polygon on other hand, is a network based on Ethereum that improved the aspects of speed and cost, so it is more accessible cost-wise.
In XR2Learn the choice is yours according to the needs of your project. In the following subsections you will learn how to configure Ethereum and Polygon in your new wallet.
Note: Within the scope of the project we don't use the mainnets of these networks but chains that behave exactly like the main networks but do not relate real costs and are used to test the functionality, these are called testnets. Therefore, the assets you may acquire in the following section do not hold real value, but you can use them to have access to the full extend of XR2Learn's functionalities.
Opening MetaMask you should see your account information. By default the wallet is connected to the Ethereum Mainnet. For the next step we will configure the test network of Polygon called Mumbai. First, on the top left of the wallet, click to expand the list of networks, as pointed in the following figure.
Figure 3 Select a network
Then, toggle "Show test networks" to enable it and press on the "Add network" button.
Figure 4 Add network
Go the bottom of the page and select the option to "Add a network manually".
Figure 5 Add a network manually
You should be able to see a form requesting information about the network.
Figure 6 Configuration Form
Fill the information according to the table below:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Network name | Mumbai |
| New RPC URL | https://polygon-mumbai-pokt.nodies.app |
| Chain ID | 80001 |
| Currency symbol | MATIC |
| Block explorer URL | https://mumbai.polygonscan.com/ |
Table 1 Polygon Testnet Information
After filling in the information press "Save" and you should see a notification informing you that the network was added successfully. If you press the option "Switch to Mumbai" the wallet main page will display information about the assets you have in this network.
Figure 7 Network Added Successfully
To configure the Ethereum's testnet, namely Sepolia, expand once more the networks list from the wallet's main page as depicted in Figure 2. You should ensure that the option to show test networks is enabled, and you can scroll down to find "Sepolia" or search it in the search bar.
Figure 8 Sepolia Network
This network is pre-configured by MetaMask, so you should be able to use it directly after selecting it.
In this step you will be able to get testnet funds that are required to perform operations such as the NFT creation and buying.
To get started you will need to copy your account address from MetaMask (i.e. your public key). Open your Metamask wallet and copy your address as depicted in figure 9.
Figure 9 MetaMask Account Address
In the table below you will find a list of sites to get access to testnet assets. Visiting these sites you can paste your account address and request to get funds. Usually these services allow you to make requests once per day. However, the amount you get should be sufficient to interact within the XR2Learn Marketplace.
Table 2 Testnet Faucets
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