To run this repo:
- ensure you have one or more wallet extensions installed in your browser
- Run
npm install - Run
npm run build(if you make any changes or would like to ensure there are no build errors) - Run
npm run devto run the app locally
This article will fast track your understanding of EIP-6963, answer questions about how to implement, and provide example code for those who'd like to skip the chit chat.
GitHub Demo Repo: vite-react-ts-eip-6963
The Example code repo above will help you create a simple implementation of EIP-6963 for detecting multiple injected providers (browser installed wallets (Externally Owned Accounts)) using ViteJS React + TypeScript.
The crux of what we will be doing is implementing the interfaces outlined in the EIP and listening to eip6963:announceProvider events in our dapp and storing the returned providers so they can be used anywhere and at anytime in our dApp giving us the ability to distinguish between providers.
Here is a preview of what we will build:
An alternative discovery mechanism to
window.ethereumfor EIP-1193 providers which supports discovering multiple injected Wallet Providers in a web page using Javascript’s window events.
Before trying to understand any EIP, read and fully understand the abstract (Quoted above), motivation, and do a full read through even if there are aspects that you don't understand.
Note: If you don't understand any part, you can get further information through sites like Ethereum Magicians (EIP-6963 MIPD) where you can get additional context from the authors and the community on most EIPs.
It would also be helpful to understand EIP-1193.
IMO, the most important line from the EIP-6963 abstract is:
"An alternative discovery mechanism to window.ethereum for EIP-1193 providers"
Immediately this tells me that EIP-6963's Multi Injected Provider Discovery proposal aims to introduce a different approach or method for discovering and interacting with EIP-1193 providers (in this case, Ethereum wallet providers) in contrast to the existing method relying on the window.ethereum object.
As a developer with window.ethereum littered throughout my dapps and the UX issues that come with the older approach, they have my attention.
Hopefully this info has helped us to frame our thinking as we progress through the EIP and start to implement this much better way of detecting and connecting to wallets.
In Ethereum decentralized applications (dApps), wallets traditionally expose their APIs using a JavaScript object known as 'the Provider.' The initial EIP created to standardize this interface was EIP-1193, and conflicts have risen among different wallet implementations. While EIP-1193 aimed to establish a common convention, the user experience suffered due to race conditions caused by wallets injecting their providers (clobbering) window's (Ethereum Object). This has been a huge criticism of Web3 UX and its shortcomings around wallet onboarding and connection. These race conditions resulted in multiple wallet extensions enabled in the same browser having conflicts, where the last injected provider typically took precedence.
Before EIP-6963, we had an unofficial standard through EIP-1193. Before it, a common convention in Ethereum dApps was for wallets to expose their API via a JavaScript object in the web page called 'the Provider.' Historically, Provider implementations had exhibited conflicting interfaces and behaviors between wallets. EIP-1193 formalized an Ethereum Provider API to promote wallet interoperability. The API was designed to be minimal, event-driven, and agnostic of transport and RPC protocols, and easily extended by defining new RPC methods and message event types. Although it provided a common convention for wallets to expose their API, user experience still suffered as a wallet would inject its provider into your browser window (Ethereum Object), causing race conditions. Having multiple wallet extensions installed meant that the last one to inject its provider typically was the one that would be detected and available for use.
EIP-5749 attempted to solve this issue with a window.evmprovider solution, and was a step in the right direction but ultimately was not adopted by enough wallets to solve our UX issue. This is where we end up with EIP 6963 bringing a standard to propose a way of doing Multi Injected Provider Discovery.
As a developer, the first thing you should do in order to get familiar with EIP-6963, is to understand the initial motive, basic description, and more importantly the (TypeScript) interfaces and objects needed to implement this new approach.
The Provider MUST implement and expose the interfaces defined in the EIP. Let's review them real quick, i have also provided links to each section of the original EIP for reference.
Each Wallet Provider will be announced with the following interface:
/**
* Represents the assets needed to display a wallet
*/
interface EIP6963ProviderInfo {
uuid: string;
name: string;
icon: string;
rdns: string;
}
used as a composition interface to announce a Wallet Provider and related metadata about the Wallet Provider
interface EIP6963ProviderDetail {
info: EIP6963ProviderInfo;
provider: EIP1193Provider;
}
The
EIP6963AnnounceProviderEventinterface MUST be aCustomEventobject with atypeproperty containing a string value ofeip6963:announceProviderand a detail property with an object value of typeEIP6963ProviderDetail.
// Announce Event dispatched by a Wallet
interface EIP6963AnnounceProviderEvent extends CustomEvent {
type: "eip6963:announceProvider";
detail: EIP6963ProviderDetail;
}
The
EIP6963RequestProviderEventinterface MUST be an Event object with a type property containing a string value ofeip6963:requestProvider.
// Request Event dispatched by a DApp
interface EIP6963RequestProviderEvent extends Event {
type: "eip6963:requestProvider";
}
With these interfaces defined for us, we can spin up a ViteJS React + TypeScript application and update the src/vite-env.d.ts with those interfaces:
/// <reference types="vite/client" />
interface EIP6963ProviderDetail {
info: EIP6963ProviderInfo;
provider: EIP1193Provider;
}
interface EIP6963ProviderInfo {
walletId: string;
uuid: string;
name: string;
icon: string;
}
interface EIP1193Provider {
isStatus?: boolean;
host?: string;
path?: string;
sendAsync?: (request: { method: string, params?: Array<unknown> }, callback: (error: Error | null, response: unknown) => void) => void
send?: (request: { method: string, params?: Array<unknown> }, callback: (error: Error | null, response: unknown) => void) => void
request: (request: { method: string, params?: Array<unknown> }) => Promise<unknown>
}
type EIP6963AnnounceProviderEvent = {
detail:{
info: EIP6963ProviderInfo,
provider: EIP1193Provider
}
}
We can then create a hooks directory and add the two following files:
import { useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
import { store } from "./store";
export const useSyncProviders = ()=> useSyncExternalStore(store.subscribe, store.value, store.value)declare global{
interface WindowEventMap {
"eip6963:announceProvider": CustomEvent
}
}
let providers: EIP6963ProviderDetail[] = []
export const store = {
value: ()=>providers,
subscribe: (callback: ()=>void)=>{
function onAnnouncement(event: EIP6963AnnounceProviderEvent){
if(providers.map(p => p.info.uuid).includes(event.detail.info.uuid)) return
providers = [...providers, event.detail]
callback()
}
window.addEventListener("eip6963:announceProvider", onAnnouncement);
window.dispatchEvent(new Event("eip6963:requestProvider"));
return ()=>window.removeEventListener("eip6963:announceProvider", onAnnouncement)
}
}With this hook and store in place, we can now create a basic compnentat the following location: src/components/DiscoverWalletProviders.tsx this component will map over those discovered providers and list them using a button that handles connections to those wallets:
import { useState } from 'react'
import { useSyncProviders } from '~/hooks/useSyncProviders'
import { formatAddress } from '~/utils'
export const DiscoverWalletProviders = () => {
const [selectedWallet, setSelectedWallet] = useState<EIP6963ProviderDetail>()
const [userAccount, setUserAccount] = useState<string>('')
const providers = useSyncProviders()
const handleConnect = async(providerWithInfo: EIP6963ProviderDetail)=> {
const accounts = await providerWithInfo.provider
.request({method:'eth_requestAccounts'})
.catch(console.error)
if(accounts?.[0]){
setSelectedWallet(providerWithInfo)
setUserAccount(accounts?.[0])
}
}
return (
<>
<h2>Wallets Detected:</h2>
<div>
{
providers.length > 0 ? providers?.map((provider: EIP6963ProviderDetail)=>(
<button key={provider.info.uuid} onClick={()=>handleConnect(provider)} >
<img src={provider.info.icon} alt={provider.info.name} />
<div>{provider.info.name}</div>
</button>
)) :
<div>
there are no Announced Providers
</div>
}
</div>
<hr />
<h2>{ userAccount ? "" : "No " }Wallet Selected</h2>
{ userAccount &&
<div>
<div>
<img src={selectedWallet.info.icon} alt={selectedWallet.info.name} />
<div>{selectedWallet.info.name}</div>
<div>({formatAddress(userAccount)})</div>
</div>
</div>
}
</>
)
}In the code above, as soon as the page is rendered we are logging the providers that we have detected. See lline 11. We can loop over these providers and create a button for each one, this button will be used to call eth_requestAccounts.
Finally we can link to this coomponent from src/App.tsx
import './App.css'
import { DiscoverWalletProviders } from '~/components/DiscoverWalletProviders'
function App() {
return (
<>
<DiscoverWalletProviders/>
</>
)
}
export default AppWith these few steps we have implemented EIP-6963 into a React application utilizing the TypeScript interfaces outlined in the EIP. At a basic level, that's it. You can see the source code here: vite-react-ts-eip-6963
The easiest ways for developers building in Web3 to start using EIP-6963 (Multi Injected Provider Discovery) is by taking advantage of Third Party connection libraries (convenience libraries) that already support it. At the time of this writing, here is the list:
If you are building Wallet COnnection Libraries you will be happy to know that incorporating MetaMask's SDK will ensure that the connection to MetaMask supports EIP-6963 for the detection of MetaMask
You can get the injected providers using Wagmi's MIPD Store With Vanilla JS and React examples.
I believe the SDK, which also supports EIP-6963, will be integrated into Web3Onboard WalletConnect supports it via Web3Modal Not sure about Web3 React, but looks like we’re trying to integrate the SDK there as well.
The MetaMask SDK not only supports EIP-6963 on it's own for detecting MetaMask, but is also being integrated into Web3 Onboard (alpha) and WAGMI (coming soon)
The SDKs integration of EIP-6963 is for the efficient discovery and connection with the MetaMask Extension. This enhancement is pivotal in streamlining the user experience and promoting seamless interactions with the Ethereum blockchain.
The MetaMask JS SDK now automatically checks for the presence of the MetaMask Extension that supports EIP-6963. This eliminates the need for manual configuration or detection methods, thereby simplifying the initial setup process for developers and users alike. Conflict Resolution: By adhering to the standards set by EIP-6963, the SDK unambiguously identifies and connects to the MetaMask Extension. This approach effectively resolves potential conflicts that might arise with other wallet extensions, ensuring a more stable and reliable interaction for users.
This update is designed to provide a more intuitive and frictionless experience for users. By automatically connecting to the MetaMask Extension, users can effortlessly engage with decentralized applications (dApps) without the worry of extension conflicts or compatibility issues.
Incorporating EIP-6963 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to align with industry standards and best practices. This ensures that our tools and services remain at the forefront of technological advancements in the blockchain domain.
You can use convenience libraries (Link to our docs) that support wallet interoperability. We recommend using the SDK for the best MetaMask user experience.
The alternative discovery mechanism works for wallets that have implemented support for EIP-6963. This includes MetaMask, Coinbase, Trust Wallet, OKX, and other major wallets.
See the list of wallets that support EIP-6963.
Dapps that do not support EIP-6963 can still detect MetaMask using the window.ethereum provider.
However, we recommend adding support to improve the user experience for multiple installed wallets.
Read more about EIP-6963 backwards compatibility.
NextJS Version of this same App by the Wallet Connect team Overview of EIP-6963: A Possible Solution for Multiple Wallet Conflict EIP-6963 EIP-6963 Standardizes Your Browser Wallet Experience
WalletConnect has already done something like this, although it's not a tutorial, it's a Twitter thread and example code repo and demo: https://eip6963.org/
NextJS example repo: https://github.com/WalletConnect/EIP6963
Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/boidushya/status/1714389971778552128 EIP-6963 in MetaMask Extension
Blog Post Action Items:
[ ] Collaborate with the team to update technical docs related to the recent rollout of support for EIP-6963. At least, the following docs pages may need to be updated: [ ] Ethereum Provider API (maybe we could add a note to this page on provider discovery) [ ] Ethereum Provider API Reference (would be nice to add interactivity here, but not needed) [ ] HowTo Connect to MetaMask Convenience Libraries
Actionable items: Get to a lower level of detail in our docs. We want our reference documentation updated. Can we create a demo that can connect to multiple wallets and target which one is active or selected to use.
Update any existing tutorials.
We have a developer call coming up. We want to touch briefly on this call and reintroduce MIPs in this call and wallet_revokePermissions in collab with portfolio dapp team.
Docs pages that need to be updates:
- Tutorials 1 & 2 on wallet? 2. We can update these tutorials in order to iincorporate implementing EIP-6963.
- Detect MetaMask should we promote the EIP-6963 method of detecting MM or should we show both?
Questions for Jiexi and