The Emerging Force in the Web3 Space: An Analysis of MetaMask Snaps

MetaMask Snaps is a project with grand ideals, which can be seen as a mini-program or dApplet in the Web3 world. This concept is not unfamiliar to developers, especially those in China. In recent years, terms like "ecosystem building" and "super apps" have frequently appeared in the internet landscape, with large enterprises attempting to make the internet environment more closed off, transitioning from service providers to standard setters. Today, this trend seems to be spreading into the Web3 domain as well.

Although Snaps has existed for nearly a year, the concept was proposed at least four years ago, but the general user’s understanding of it is still very limited. Even cryptocurrency enthusiasts who use MetaMask daily often have no knowledge of MetaMask Snaps. However, when explaining that Snaps is similar to mini-programs, it often piques their interest.

This situation reminds me of the scenario when WeChat mini-programs were first launched. Due to the unclear access to features, the initial usage was very low. It wasn't until the access was moved to the dropdown position on the homepage that usage began to increase significantly. For MetaMask, how to attract users into its ecosystem may become an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.

Since its inception, mini-programs have been a topic of constant controversy. Many front-end engineers believe that they are merely a commercial tool created by internet giants to monopolize traffic and block ecosystems, contributing little to technological development. The extent to which Web3's Snaps can benefit the community remains to be seen. Browsing the documentation provided by MetaMask, it is not difficult to find that future Snap developers may face numerous restrictions.

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

Currently, there are no dedicated developers for Snaps, but Web2 mini-program developers generally find the development experience to be poor. Although mini-programs use a front-end tech stack, they are often a stripped-down version, and various restrictions require developers to overcome numerous obstacles to be considered "experienced."

Snaps also face similar challenges. For security reasons, it runs in an isolated secure environment, using "secure ECMAScript", which actually imposes some restrictions on the JavaScript API, such as not being able to access the DOM, Node.js, and browser plugin APIs.

The basic Snaps functionality is limited, and most features require obtaining the appropriate permissions first. Snaps need to request permissions from the user during installation, including lifecycle, transactions, signatures, and CRON, etc.

Compared to the thriving Web3 ecosystem, the number of available Snaps is relatively small. MetaMask categorizes them into several main categories:

1. Account Management: Mainly enhances private key security through MPC technology. Currently, there are only a few such Snaps.

2. Interoperability: Provides compatibility with non-EVM networks, including Solana, Cosmos, Near, Sui, etc. This is currently the most common type of Snaps.

3. Notifications and Chat: Although there is potential, users currently using the blockchain to send messages are still in the minority.

4. Security: There is a high demand for this type of Snaps, especially in providing trading insights and preventing phishing transactions. They can compensate for the shortcomings of MetaMask in terms of security warnings.

MetaMask Snaps allows developers to read raw data, analyze it, and present more detailed security information to users by providing specific permissions when a user initiates a transaction or signs.

Although MetaMask hopes to expand to other chain platforms through Snaps, its development prospects remain uncertain. Drawing on the experience of mini-programs in the Web2 space, simplified services often struggle to compete with full apps, and new feature updates may lag behind. If Snaps develops well, more wallets may follow suit, which could lead Web3 developers to need to create corresponding versions for different wallets, increasing development difficulty.

In the future, various "Snaps-like" platforms may emerge, and the differences between them could be significant. To address compatibility issues, standards similar to the "Snaps Standard" may arise, along with related discussion proposals.

Although MetaMask Snaps is a product built by enthusiastic developers aimed at solving real-world problems, it is currently not an essential feature for most MetaMask users. MetaMask may need to do more work on how to promote it more effectively.