I am new to the world of web3 and have found the explanations of some concepts fuzzy. Can someone explain to me in simple terms what MetaMask does? I've seen that it acts as a gateway to DApps but my question is; does it simulate us running an Ethereum node on our local machine? Secondly, why can't regular browsers access DApps without it?
3 Answers
MetaMask runs as a plugin or add-on in the web browser. It is available for the Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Brave browsers. The key idea behind the development of MetaMask is to provide an interface with the Ethereum blockchain. It allows efficient account management and connectivity to the Ethereum blockchain without running the Ethereum node software locally. Because blockchain stored on nodes and in order to get the blockchain data, you need to connect to a node. MetaMask allows connectivity to the Ethereum blockchain through the infrastructure available at Infura ( https://infura.io ). This allows users to interact with the blockchain without having to host any node locally.
Metamask injects a ethereum (before it was web3) object within the running websites' JavaScript context, which allows immediate interface capability for DApps. This injection allows DApps to interact directly with the blockchain.
MetaMask also allows account management. This acts as a verification method before any transaction is executed on the blockchain. The user is shown a secure interface to review the transaction for approval or rejection before it can reach the target blockchain.
Simply put, Metamask allows you to hold onto, or transfer tokens (ether) to another EOA (externally owned account such as another Metamask account) or to a Smart Contract that you have created in IDEs such as remix Ethereum. Note that Metamask is not equivalent to an Ethereum node. "Node" refers to a running piece of client software. A client is an implementation of Ethereum that verifies all transactions in each block, keeping the network secure and the data accurate.
If you want to interact with dApps, you need to take a part in transactions which are occurred between you and the dApps. To do so, you need to have an account on the blockchain network, and the metamask simply appears as a tool to manage your account. You could have several accounts, and Metamask also works for that. By using metamask, you can do switch accounts, sign a transaction with the account you want and so on.
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