This was back in 2020. ETHDenver.
Decentralized applications (dApps) were just starting to proactively adopt social logins for Web3 user onboarding. The conception and its traction were only at the earliest stages.
But a very lateral idea came about — which was that of a non-custodial wallet trying to offer an alternative approach for login experience, instead of a seed-phrase.
Building the infrastructure for social logins to be integrated into Web3 wallet was fairly radical. Not to mention, it was also extremely complex and hard to build.
At this time, Keplr wallet happened to be one of the earliest adopters of Web3Auth.
Cut to three years later.
At the recently concluded ETHDenver 2023 in Colorado, the Keplr team and its Cofounder Josh Lee hopped onto an Uber ride to reach the venue.
The driver recalled how he found himself amused with Crypto, drawing up from all the conversations he had been having with passengers the previous couple of days. Josh pointed out that he would love to tip him in Crypto if the driver was interested in installing the Keplr wallet.
Unfortunately, the driver already had his next ride automatically scheduled, and they were extremely short on time. But that did not stop the driver from being able to install the wallet and create a new Crypto account in under a minute.
Josh says, “This would not have been possible without Web3Auth at the core of our onboarding process. It’s amazing to see someone’s first experience with crypto being so seamless.”
A browser extension wallet for the inter-blockchain ecosystem, Keplr is a leading open-source and IBC-enabled wallet for the Cosmos ecosystem. It offers diverse account management and wallet functionalities for all the Cosmos-SDK based blockchains.
Keplr <> Web3Auth
For a company that was building a self-custodial crypto wallet, the Keplr team exactly understands the challenges of having to balance between technical security v/s practical useability.
‘Not your keys, not your crypto’ is really easier said than done.
To address this issue, Keplr has integrated Web3Auth (formerly Torus), which enables users to authenticate themselves without the need for complex cryptographic keys, replacing them with social logins. The team says the integration has significantly lowered the entry barrier for first-time crypto users who want to take custody of their assets.
Josh and his team met with Zhen, our Cofounder, at EthDenver 2020. Josh recalls how they were already familiar with Web3Auth while they were wrapping up preparations for the launch.
He adds, “At the time, Web3Auth was only serving the Ethereum ecosystem. We took on the challenge to make it compatible with the Cosmos ecosystem. In that process, we were extremely impressed with the amount of care and attention their Developer Relations team gave to answering questions and unblocking any issues.”
Josh adds that Web3Auth has allowed Keplr to create a rather gradual onboarding journey for non-crypto users to start using various different applications across the ecosystem — turning a Web3 onboarding experience that felt like a climb into a more gently-sloped staircase.
As the user becomes more acquainted with crypto key management, they are now able to transition into being more in control of their keys.
Josh concludes it to say that Crypto tends to get overly focused on technical security, while neglecting the practical implications of an end-user’s asset security.
“Web3Auth provided a practical way of providing a top-notch first crypto experience, while providing a high level of practical security for early users, and even advanced users. We believe Web3Auth is one of the easiest ways for crypto services to upgrade its UX with minimal development effort and maintenance.”
