Introducing Metamask: An Ethereum Crypto Wallet.

MetaMask is a bridge that allows connecting to the Ethereum network in your browser. A crypto-wallet is a piece of software that stores private and public keys and interacts with a blockchain to enable users to send and receive digital currency (i.e., Ether or an ERC20 Token) and monitor its balance. This wallet allows you to run Ethereum dApps right in your browser without running a full Ethereum node.

Image Source: Metamask.io

MetaMask includes a secure identity vault, providing a user interface to manage your identities on different sites and sign blockchain transactions. It also lets users create and manage their own identities, so when a Dapp wants to perform a transaction and write to the blockchain, the user gets a secure interface to review the transaction, before approving or rejecting it.

Installing Metamask

It is possible to install it as a plug-in (or add-on) in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and the new Brave browser. To install it go to metamask.io and select “get Chrome extension” (or the extension for whatever browser they support and you wish to use). Follow the directions. Make sure to create a strong password and keep your password and recovery seed somewhere safe.

Metamask Installation

A default account with an associated public Ethereum address will be created on the Main Network. You can use that account, create new accounts or import your previous accounts.

If you’re a developer, you can start developing using this tool now. The extension injects the Ethereum web3 API into every website's javascript context so that dapps can read from the blockchain. This wallet allows connecting to the main Ethereum network and other test networks such as Ropsten, Rinkeby or Kovan.

Website: https://metamask.io/

This digital wallet was last updated in August 15, 2018, this new version includes the possibility of working in a web browser's tab. The source code on Github is available in https://github.com/MetaMask/metamask-plugin.

The following image is an example of Metamask. In this example, the wallet connects to the Ropsten Test Network.