Decentralize your Metamask
How to decentralize your Metamask in under 1 minute with POKT Network.
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Today’s topic? Decentralizing your Metamask.
Wait a minute… are you telling me that Metamask, a decentralized software wallet, is centralized?
Yes!
To be more specific, the default settings for your Metamask wallet use centralized nodes.
When you broadcast a transaction through Metamask, it is broadcast through Infura, a centralized node service, then broadcast onto the network.
What does this mean?
Your transactions can be blocked/rejected on a whim, and we have already seen this happen in the middle east and parts of Venezuela.
Sources:
So how do we decentralize our Metamask?
There are a couple of different ways to get around this. The first option is to run your own node, (not the most ideal method for the everyday user).
Our second option is to update our RPC settings in Metamask and connect via the POKT Network.
POKT is the decentralized TCP/IP protocol of web3, by flipping the switch to Pocket as your default Ethereum infrastructure provider in Metamask, you’ll get connected to the Ethereum Network in a completely decentralized manner.
How does this work?
Pocket Network forwards all RPC requests to the Pocket protocol. The Gateway instantly forwards requests to a global network of over 3k nodes.
Anytime Metamask connects to Ethereum through Pocket, it is paired with a session of 5 pseudo-random nodes on the network. If a node was to go offline, the application would still be connected to the four other nodes in the session. In the rare instance that all nodes were to go offline, the application would automatically get paired with a new set of 5 pseudo-random nodes through a mechanism known as session tumbling.
Click here to find out more about POKT
Okay, I’m ready to decentralize my Metamask, where do I start?
Let’s start by logging into our digital wallet.
From here, we’ll head over to settings —> Networks —> Add a Network.
Once we have our Network settings open, we’ll head over to https://docs.pokt.network/home/use/public-rpc.
Link here
Pocket Network provides decentralized infrastructure for most major chains, you can find endpoints for Ethereum, Avalanche, BSC, Polygon, and many more.
In our Network settings we’ll enter the following:
Network Name: Ethereum Mainnet
New RPC URL: https://eth-rpc.gateway.pokt.network
Chain ID: 1
Currency Symbol: ETH
Block Explorer ID: https://etherscan.io
Next, we’ll save our network settings, and navigate back to the home screen.
Under Network, we’ll switch over from Ethereum Mainnet to our Pocket Network Ethereum Endpoint.
Congratulations! You have officially decentralized your Metamask digital wallet!
Pocket Network brings true decentralization to web3 infrastructure. Establishing themselves as the TCP/IP of web3 node infrastructure. A multi-chain relay protocol that incentivizes RPC nodes to provide DApps and their users with unstoppable Web3 access.
To find out more about Pocket Network, and how they are bringing decentralization to web3, check out our post covering POKT!