Web3 Mini Programs? An In-Depth Analysis of MetaMask Snaps

MetaMask Snaps is a project with grand ideals. Stripping away its "ideal" facade, it resembles a mini-program in the Web3 world, or can be referred to as a dApplet.

For developers, especially those in China, this concept is not unfamiliar. In recent years, terms like "ecosystem building" and "super App" have frequently appeared in the internet field, and large companies have been trying to make the internet environment more closed in order to shift from service providers to standard setters.

Nowadays, this trend seems to be spreading to the Web3 space as well.

Although Snaps has been around for almost a year, and the concept has been proposed for at least 4 years, the average user still knows very little about it. Even cryptocurrency enthusiasts who use MetaMask daily may not know what MetaMask Snaps are. However, when explained as "similar to mini-programs," developers often show a knowing smile.

This situation reminds me of the time when WeChat Mini Programs were just launched. Due to the unclear entry points for functions, the initial usage was very low. It wasn't until the entry point was moved to the dropdown position on the homepage that usage began to grow significantly. If MetaMask wants to build an ecosystem, how to attract users to enter the ecosystem may become an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.

Since the launch of mini programs, there has been ongoing controversy in the internet industry. Front-end engineers generally believe that they are merely commercial tools for large companies to monopolize traffic and block ecosystems, contributing little to technological development. The extent to which Web3's Snaps can contribute to the community remains to be seen. Browsing MetaMask's documentation, it increasingly feels that future Snap developers will face many restrictions.

It has been nearly a year since the public beta of Snaps was launched from MetaMask, but the number of available Snaps listed on its official website is not many, with only 68 as of June 2024. Considering that the concept of Snaps was proposed by the official around 2020, Web3 companies and developers have actually had a considerable amount of time to understand it.

Currently, there are no dedicated developers for Snaps, but there are quite a few mini-program developers in Web2. The general view of mini-programs is that the development experience is relatively poor. Mini-program development still uses the front-end ecosystem, but in a stripped-down version; manufacturers limit what developers can do for various reasons. The technical capabilities and documentation quality of different manufacturers vary greatly, leading developers to be considered "experienced" only after stumbling through various pitfalls on each platform.

Returning to Web3, for security and other reasons, Snaps is likely to face a similar situation. It operates in an isolated security context, using "secure ECMAScript," which effectively imposes some restrictions on the JavaScript API, such as not being able to access the DOM, Node.js, browser plugin APIs, etc.

Due to security considerations, the basic functionality of Snaps is limited. Most features require obtaining the corresponding permissions first, so Snaps need to request permissions from users during installation. Available permissions include lifecycle, transaction, signature, CRON, etc.

Compared to the thriving Web3 ecosystem, the number of available Snaps is very limited. MetaMask categorizes them into several types.

Snaps Type

MetaMask's official website categorizes Snaps into 4 types:

Account Management

This type of Snaps mainly enhances the security of private keys through MPC technology.

Traditionally, users usually store their mnemonic phrases on their computers or smartphones. For users with larger amounts of funds, they may use more secure methods such as hardware wallets. However, most people simply keep their mnemonic phrases in easily accessible places to avoid forgetting them.

This storage method may cause issues:

1. Forgetting the storage location of the mnemonic phrase may lead to permanent loss of assets.
2. Devices that save mnemonic phrases infected with Trojan viruses may lead to hackers stealing the mnemonic phrases.

MPC technology can automatically split a private key into multiple parts, which are stored in different locations. It only recombines them when a transaction signature is needed, and throughout the process, a complete private key is never generated, maximizing the protection of the private key's security.

Currently, there are only 3 account management Snaps: Capsule, Silent Shard, and Safeheron.

• Capsule uses the PassKey, recovery password, and 2FA of the device to maintain the same key.
• Silent Shard and Safeheron are implemented by installing the App on multiple devices.

It remains to be seen how many Web3 users this type of Snaps can attract. According to the official data, the number and installation volume of such Snaps are not high.

After using these Snaps, an additional address will appear in the MetaMask wallet.

Interoperability

This type of Snaps mainly provides compatibility with non-EVM networks, including well-known blockchains such as Solana, Cosmos, Near, and Sui. Currently, this type of Snaps accounts for the largest number, making up more than half of the entire ecosystem.

Notifications and Chat

This type of Snaps may have limited appeal currently, as there are many chat applications available, and users willing to send messages through blockchain are still in the minority.

security

There is a high demand for this type of Snaps, especially considering that MetaMask's own warning function is not perfect when users encounter phishing transactions. As one of the most common high-risk operations in the cryptocurrency and blockchain field, transactions can leverage the trading insights feature provided by Snaps, allowing developers to present richer transaction information to users, offering analysis and insights to minimize asset losses.

Secure Snaps are expected to address the shortcomings of MetaMask itself. According to data from the official website, in addition to multi-chain support, the demand for secure Snaps is the highest, currently accounting for 20% of the total.

MetaMask Snaps provides the "endowment:transaction-insight" and "endowment:signature-insight" permissions to meet relevant needs. After applying for the relevant permissions, the Snap can read the original transaction or signature data when the user initiates a transaction or signature, analyze it, and then display more security explanations to the user.

Prospects

MetaMask is trying to expand its domain to other chain platforms through Snaps, but it is still difficult to predict how far it can go. Referring to the experience of mini-programs in the Web2 domain, many apps, although they offer mini-program versions, often have functionalities that are far inferior to native apps, and the follow-up of new features is often lagging; some mini-programs even guide users to their own apps.

With the explosive growth of mini-programs, more apps are beginning to launch their own mini-program platforms, each striving to build its own ecological barrier, and the entire web world is showing an increasingly "centralized" trend.

The capital in the Web3 space may not be more visionary than that in Web2. If Snaps develops well, it is likely that more wallets will follow suit. In this case, Web3 developers may need to develop different versions of "Snaps" for various wallets, which will undoubtedly put immense pressure on them. However, if all manufacturers start to build their own "Snaps" ecosystems, it will be almost equivalent to having no unique ecological advantage.

In the future, various "Snaps-like" platforms may emerge, with significant differences between them, requiring developers to spend a lot of effort on cross-platform compatibility. When this situation becomes unbearable, a Snaps standard may be born, along with various "SIPs" for community discussion, presenting a prosperous ecosystem.

Despite some concerns about the prospects of MetaMask Snaps, it is undeniable that it is a product built by a group of passionate developers aimed at solving real problems, rather than a scam initiated by financial experts.

However, for most current users of MetaMask, Snaps is not yet an essential feature. MetaMask may need to invest more effort in how to promote it more effectively.