Web3 Ecosystem Mini Programs: An In-Depth Analysis of MetaMask Snaps

MetaMask Snaps is a project with grand ideals, but setting aside its idealistic facade, we can view it as a mini-program in the Web3 world, or more vividly refer to it as a "dApplet".

For developers, especially domestic developers, this concept is not unfamiliar. In recent years, terms like "ecosystem building" and "super App" have frequently appeared in the internet space, as major commercial giants attempt to make the internet environment increasingly closed, transforming from service providers to standard setters. Now, this trend seems to be spreading to the Web3 domain as well.

As of June 2024, despite Snaps having been launched for nearly a year and the concept being proposed at least four years ago, the average user's understanding of it remains very limited. Even cryptocurrency enthusiasts who use MetaMask daily often know nothing about the concept of Snaps. However, when we compare it to "mini programs," developers often break into a knowing smile.

This situation inevitably reminds people of the circumstances when WeChat Mini Programs were first launched. Due to the unclear entry points for functionality, the initial usage was very low. It wasn't until the entry was adjusted to display the Mini Program list in a dropdown on the homepage that usage started to increase significantly. For MetaMask, how to attract users into its ecosystem may become a key issue that needs urgent resolution.

Since their inception, mini programs have been a topic of controversy in the internet industry. Many front-end engineers scoff at them, believing they are merely a commercial tool designed by internet giants to monopolize traffic and lock down ecosystems, with limited contributions to technological development. So, how much value can Snaps bring to the community in the Web3 space? Browsing the documentation provided by MetaMask, it increasingly feels that future Snap developers will face numerous limitations and challenges.

It has been nearly a year since the launch of the Snaps public beta by MetaMask, yet the number of available Snaps listed on its official website is not very many, with only 68 as of June 2024. It is worth noting that before the official public testing, the concept of Snaps was proposed as early as around 2020, and Web3 companies and developers have actually had quite a long time to gain a deep understanding of it.

Currently, there are no dedicated developers for Snaps, but there are quite a few mini-program developers in the Web2 field. The general perception of mini-programs is that the development experience is poor. Although mini-program development still uses the front-end ecosystem, it is a stripped-down version, with various restrictions limiting what developers can actually do. The technical capabilities and documentation quality vary across different platforms, resulting in developers needing to navigate pitfalls across various platforms to gain experience.

In the Web3 space, for security and other reasons, Snaps is likely to face a similar dilemma. It must operate in an isolated secure environment, using "secure ECMAScript," which effectively imposes certain restrictions on the JavaScript API, such as the inability to access the DOM, Node.js, browser plugin APIs, etc.

Based on understandable security considerations, a basic Snap can actually do very little. Most functionalities require prior permission, so the Snap needs to request the relevant permissions from the user at the time of installation. The available permissions include lifecycle, transactions, signatures, CRON, etc.

Compared to the thriving Web3 ecosystem, the number of available Snaps is relatively small, and MetaMask has categorized them.

Snaps Type

According to the official website classification, Snaps can be roughly divided into 4 types:

Account Management

These types of Snaps mainly enhance the security of private keys through MPC (Multi-Party Computation) technology.

There are some issues with traditional private key protection methods:

1. If you forget where you stored your mnemonic phrase, you may lose control of your wallet assets.
2. If the device storing the mnemonic phrase encounters a Trojan virus, it is difficult to prevent hackers from stealing it.

MPC technology can automatically split private keys into multiple parts, stored in different locations, and only recombined when a transaction signature is needed, ensuring that a complete private key is never generated during the entire process, maximizing the security of the private key.

As of now (June 2024), there are only 3 account management type Snaps: Capsule, Silent Shard, and Safeheron.

• Capsule uses the device's PassKey, recovery password, and 2FA to maintain the same key.
• Silent Shard and Safeheron achieve multi-layer protection by installing the app on multiple devices.

Although the use of these types of Snaps is not complicated, the data from the official website shows that their quantity and installation volume are not high.

interoperability

This type of Snaps mainly provides compatibility with non-EVM networks, including well-known chains like Solana, Cosmos, Near, Sui, etc. Currently, this type of Snaps has the highest number, accounting for more than half of the entire ecosystem.

Notification and Chat

The appeal of this type of Snaps may be limited given the numerous communication applications currently available. Users willing to send messages via blockchain are still in the minority.

Security

The demand for this type of Snaps is relatively high, especially considering MetaMask's shortcomings in alerting users about phishing transactions. Transactions, being the most common operation in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, carry high risks and sensitivities. Through the transaction insight feature provided by Snaps, developers can present users with richer transaction information, offering analysis and insights to minimize asset loss.

According to data from the official website, in addition to multi-chain support, the demand for security-related Snaps is the highest, currently accounting for one-fifth of the total.

MetaMask Snaps provides the "endowment:transaction-insight" and "endowment:signature-insight" permissions to meet relevant needs. After applying for these permissions, a Snap can read the original transaction or signature payload during a user's transaction or signature initiation, perform analysis, and then display more detailed security information to the user.

Future Outlook

MetaMask is attempting to extend its influence to other chain platforms through Snaps, but how far it can ultimately go remains an unknown. Referring to the experience of mini-programs in the Web2 space, although many apps offer mini-program versions, they often have rudimentary functions and struggle to compete with native apps, and the follow-up on new features is often lagging. After the explosive growth of mini-programs, more apps have started to launch their own mini-program platforms, with each company striving to consolidate its own advantages, making the entire Web world even more "centralized."

The capital operation model in the Web3 field may not be significantly different from that in Web2. If Snaps develops smoothly in the future, more wallets will inevitably follow suit. By then, Web3 developers may need to develop different versions of "Snaps" for various wallets, which will undoubtedly put immense pressure on them. However, if each manufacturer creates its own "Snaps" ecosystem, it would be almost equivalent to having no unique ecological advantage at all. This may actually align with their idea of "decentralization."

In the future, various "Snaps-like" platforms may emerge, with significant differences between them. At that point, compatibility across platforms becomes a daily task for developers, until it reaches an unbearable level. Subsequently, in response to strong calls from developers, the Snaps Standard may come into existence, along with various "SIPs" for community discussion, resulting in a prosperous scene.

Despite a cautious outlook on 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 certain financial experts.

However, for most of MetaMask's current users, Snaps is not yet an essential feature. MetaMask may need to do more work on how to promote it more effectively.