How To Tutorials

MetaMask Wallet Setup

9min

Overview

MetaMask is a browser plugin (or mobile app) that you can use to manage your crypto wallet and seamlessly interact with smart contracts and dApps (decentralized applications). It's an open-source wallet that supports all kinds of Ethereum-based tokens like the PALM token.



Advantages

  • Popular - It is widely used so users only need one plugin to access a wide range of dApps.
  • Open source - helps keep the code remain safe due to the "many eyes" principle.
  • Saves space - Users don’t have to download the whole blockchain as it sends requests to nodes outside of the user’s computer
  • Integrated - dApps are designed to work with it, so it becomes much easier to send PALM in and out or interact with dApps.


Disadvantages

  • Third-party - MetaMask holds private keys within the user’s browser. This is less safe than a hardware or paper wallet. It is a reasonable compromise for the ease-of-use.
  • External nodes - Instead of being a full node, it relies on external nodes which on occasion have downtime that can cause MetaMask to stop working.


Getting Started




Export a Private Key from MetaMask

  1. Click on the icon at the top right.
  2. Select the account you'd like to export.
  3. On the account page:
    • Click on the menu (three dots) in the upper right corner
    • Click on the Account Details button.
  4. Click Export Private Key
  5. To access your private key, enter your wallet password.
    • Click Confirm to proceed.
  6. Click to copy your revealed private key, and save it somewhere safe.
  7. Click Done to close the screen.
Export a private key in MetaMask
Export a private key in MetaMask




🏁 Additional Resources