Securing Address Verification with Metamask: A Step-BY-Step guide
As a Web Developer, You’ve Likely Encountered the Challenge of Verifying An Owner’s Identity When a User Shares Their Ethereum Wallet Address On Your Website. This is where metamask comes in – a popular browser extension that securely manages and stores ethereum accounts. In this article, we’ll walk through how to use metamask to verify if a user owns an address from within your website.
What is Metamask?
Before Diving Into The Solution, Let’s Quickly Cover What Metamask Does. It’s A Secure Wallet Extension That Allows Users To Import Their Ethereum Accounts Directly Into Your Website Or Mobile App. When a user imports their account, they can Choose Whether to share it with you or keep it private.
Step 1: Prepare Your Website for Verification
To verify if a user owns an address from metamask, you’ll need to create a simple endpoint on your server that accepts the imported address as input. For this example, let’s assume your website uses node.js as its backend language.
Create a new file called index.js
and add the following code:
`Javascript
Contress = Require (‘Express’);
Const app = Express ();
App.post (‘/Verify-Address’, (REQ, RES) => {
Contress = req.body.address;
// Integrate with Metamask API to Verify ownership
import (‘metamask’). Then ((API) => {
api.verifyaddress (Address) .Then ((result) => {
if (result.verified) {
res.json ({message: ‘User owns this address’});
} Else {
res.json ({message: ‘User does not own this address’});
}
}). Catch ((error) => {
console.error (error);
res. status (500) .json ({error: ‘Failed to verify ownership’});
});
}). Catch ((error) => {
console.error (error);
res. status (400) .json ({error: ‘Invalid request data’});
});
});
`
This code imports the metamask
api and uses it to verify if the imported address is owned by metamask. If ownership is verified, we respond with a success message.
Step 2: Integrate Metamask With Your Website
To integrate metamask with your website, you’ll need to add the metamask
library as a deependency in yourjson 'file:
Json
{
"Name": "My website",
"Version": "1.0.0",
"Dependencies": {
"@types/metamask": "^3.4.7",
"Express": "^4.17.1"
}
}
Next, create a new file called metamask.js
and add the following code:
`Javascript
import {ethers} From ‘Ethers’;
Import * as Metamask From ‘@Types/Metamask’;
Const API = metamask;
Export default async function verifyaddress (address) {
Const account = Await API.Get account (Address);
if (account) {
Return True;
} Else {
Return False;
}
}
`
This code uses the metamask
api to retrieve an ethereum account object associated with the imported address.
Step 3: Call the Verification Function
To verify a user’s ownership, call the verifyaddress
function from your website:
`Javascript
Contress = ‘0x … User-Addr …’; // Replace with the Actual Metamask Address
Fetch (‘/Verify-Address’, {
method: ‘post’,
headers: {‘content type’: ‘Application/JSON’},
body: json.stringify ({address}),
})
.Then ((response) => response.json ())
.Then ((result) => console.log (result))
.catch ((error) => console.error (error));
`
Replace ... user-addr ...
With the actual metamask address you imported from your website.
By following thesis steps, you can securely verify if a user owns an ethereum address using metamask. This approach Ensures that the verification process is encrypted and tamper-proof, protecting sensitive user data.