Introducing Web3 Sign In

The LinkPool team is happy to announce the migration of traditional Web2 authentication to our new complete Web3 Sign In experience across our entire suite of products. Our users will no longer have to fiddle with cumbersome email and password register/login but instead utilize wallet browser extensions to do all of the heavy lifting. Best of all, we have made merging current accounts over to the Web3 method seamless and easy with just a few clicks.

 

With blockchain technology being implemented in more of our everyday life it only made sense that we started to think about how we would move our users from the old, less secure form of authorization to the new more secure Web3 native format. Let’s take a look at how we implemented the change, and show you, no matter if you are registering for the first time or a current user, how easy it is to get started.

 

Utilizing crypto wallets such as MetaMask, we are able to create cryptographic signatures to prove the account you are trying to access is the account that created the signature. This allows users to control their privacy instead of storing a hashed password in a database out of their control. Ethereum uses the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm, or ECDSA which is used to create the signature with your wallets private key and message. We randomly generate a new message (nonce) after each login to create another layer of security. This generated signature can be safely sent over wire and inspected to find the wallet address it was created from but not derive the private key associated. Lets jump into how we use this technology in our new authorization system.

 

If you’re creating an account for the first time, click the Sign In button at the top and connect your wallet address you would like to use. Once you’re connected it will automatically check to see if you’re a returning user. It will ask you to authorize a signature request which has a randomly generated string of characters as a message and will verify the signature is associated with your connected wallet. Once the signature is verified your account is created!

 

If you are a returning user, don’t sweat, just sign in the way you have in the past with your email/password (2fa if you enabled as well) and you will be prompted to migrate to Web3. Migrating is much the same as creating a new user. You will be asked to connect the wallet address you wish to use and prompted with an authorize signature request. After verification of your signature your Web2 account is now migrated to our Web3 Sign In with all of your previously established settings still intact.

When you’re logging back in, all you will need to do is click Sign In, authorize a signature request again and you’re in! A couple notes to mention: As of now we only support Ethereum mainnet so you will be prompted to switch networks if you’re currently on another. Also, Web2 login will be deprecated in the near future, so merging your current accounts over to Web3 as soon as possible is recommended.

With Web3 Sign In now integrated into the LinkPool suite of products, new features will be arriving in the next few quarters. Our first is the introduction of LinkPool Secure Messaging. With the deprecation of traditional Web2 authentication and email, our new messaging platform will continue communication and notifications through an e2e encrypted system, giving users a  built-in system to message each other via their wallet address completely encrypted. This opens the doors to new possibilities of communication between users, data providers, and node providers. More info to come on this in the next couple of months.

 

Web3 Sign In will help power the launch of our next iteration of Node as a Service. This release will incorporate a subscription based on-chain billing system for all of our EVM based nodes on mainnet. Having a completely on-chain experience has been thought about for a long time and the migration to Web3 authentication makes this possible. An in-depth look on how this will work and what to expect will come later in the year.