The WalletConnect Network has played a critical role in shaping the onchain revolution, Since 2018 it has provided a path for apps and wallets to communicate where none had ever existed, and enabled over 150 million connections for more than 23 million users to date.
But what exactly is WalletConnect, and why is it such a critical piece of our onchain future?
Understanding the WalletConnect Network
The WalletConnect Network is an open-source network that connects users to decentralized apps through a secure and interoperable protocol. By creating a standardized way for wallets to interact with onchain applications, WalletConnect allows users to connect their digital wallets to decentralized applications with ease, enabling millions of people to safely engage onchain.
Whether you’re buying crypto, trading memecoins or collecting digital art, WalletConnect acts as the bridge between wallets and apps. It enables a seamless connection with just a scan of a QR code, making blockchain interactions easy, secure, and fast.
Traditionally, connecting wallets to apps on the blockchain required complex steps, which often discouraged new users and created a fragmented ecosystem. WalletConnect simplifies this by offering a universal connection method compatible across hundreds of wallets and thousands of apps.
How Does WalletConnect Work?
WalletConnect operates through a relay server infrastructure that supports real-time communication between wallets and decentralized applications. Here’s a brief breakdown of how it works:
- Initiating a Connection: When a user wants to connect their wallet to an app, they simply scan a QR code provided by the app, either through integrations within the app provided by tools like Reown AppKit, other connection kits, or by building direct, custom integrations that allow the QR code to communicate through the network. This QR code includes all the necessary connection details, making it a quick and intuitive process.
- Delivering the connection: When the user scans the QR code, they’d do this via an in-wallet scanner within the mobile wallet they’re using. This enables the wallet to receive the communication within seconds.
- Securing the Connection: The WalletConnect network secures the connection by encrypting all messages exchanged between the wallet and the app, ensuring that user data remains private and secure.
- Interoperability Across Blockchains: WalletConnect’s protocol supports interactions across multiple blockchains, which means users are not limited to any single network. They can access applications across Ethereum, Solana, and other networks without needing separate tools or wallets for each.
By creating a universal connection method, WalletConnect has enabled interoperability across blockchain networks and simplified how people interact with the decentralized internet.
Who Uses WalletConnect, and Why?
WalletConnect’s widespread adoption speaks to its importance in the onchain ecosystem. Today, the network has facilitated more than 150 million connections for over 23 million users accessing decentralized applications, making it one of the most popular protocols. Its use spans several groups:
- Everyday Users: For those who want to manage assets or use apps securely, WalletConnect offers a familiar and streamlined user experience that eliminates technical complexity.
- Developers: WalletConnect provides developers with a standardized connection method, allowing them to focus on building features rather than managing connectivity and security. This results in a more robust and usable ecosystem for everyone involved.
- Ecosystem Partners: WalletConnect is compatible with hundreds of wallets and thousands of apps, meaning it has become a fundamental component in connecting the onchain world, creating endless possibilities for users across different networks.
The Importance of Decentralization for WalletConnect
While WalletConnect initially launched with a centralized relay infrastructure to ensure a streamlined user experience, decentralization has always been at the heart of its mission. Decentralization of the network is critical not only to secure it, but also to align with its core vision, where user autonomy and open participation take precedence. In 2024, WalletConnect took a major step toward this vision by introducing its first node operators, marking the beginning of its transition to a permissionless, fully decentralized network.
How Decentralization Enhances WalletConnect
Decentralizing WalletConnect’s relay infrastructure is about more than distributing servers—it’s about creating a resilient network that can operate without relying on any single entity. This transition is guided by several principles:
- Distributed Node Infrastructure: As nodes are introduced, the network moves from relying on centralized servers to a distributed.
- Permissionless Participation: A fully decentralized WalletConnect Network will be permissionless, meaning anyone can participate as a node operator without approval from a central authority. This aligns with the core tenets of, where trust is distributed across the community rather than controlled by a single entity.
- Security and Resilience: By decentralizing, WalletConnect not only reduces the potential for vulnerabilities in its infrastructure but also strengthens the network’s resilience against attacks. With multiple independent nodes, bad actors would find it extremely challenging to disrupt the entire network, ensuring continued, secure access for users.
The Role of the WalletConnect Token (WCT)
To facilitate decentralization, WalletConnect introduced the WalletConnect Token (WCT), which plays a critical role in governance and incentivization within the network. The WCT allows stakeholders, from users to developers and node operators, to have a voice in the network’s development. Token holders can vote on network upgrades, improvements, UX innovations and other key decisions, fostering a community-driven approach to the WalletConnect Network’s future.
Incentives through WCT also encourage individuals to operate nodes, helping maintain and expand the decentralized infrastructure. Node operators are rewarded for their contributions to network security and uptime, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem where active participation strengthens WalletConnect’s infrastructure and value.
A Community-Centric Future
The journey toward a fully decentralized WalletConnect Network is a gradual one, but each step empowers the community further. As more node operators join and decentralization expands, the WalletConnect Network transitions closer to an open, resilient infrastructure driven by its users rather than any central authority. This shift not only makes WalletConnect a robust connection standard for Web3 but also ensures that it remains aligned with the needs of its users, setting a new standard for how decentralized infrastructure should operate.
The difference between the WalletConnect Network and WalletConnect Foundation
The WalletConnect Foundation is the steward of the WalletConnect Network.
The WalletConnect Foundation supports the growth, security, community and decentralization of the WalletConnect Network.
The WalletConnect Network is the decentralized infrastructure that enables wallet-to-wallet and wallet-to-app communication using the WalletConnect protocol.
Key differences:
- Foundation: Provides governance, oversight, and resource allocation to foster the WalletConnect Networks development and long-term success.
- Network: The onchain UX ecosystem where wallets, apps and users connect
Learn about the Foundation here
Why WalletConnect Matters in Today’s Digital Landscape
What once began as a simple solution in a niche and emerging space has grown into a fundamental pillar for the success of the new internet – WalletConnect’s role in the onchain ecosystem is critical to its future, a role in which its roots, technology, and community each have significant impact.
By breaking down the UX barriers that once held back the decentralized web, WalletConnect has opened blockchain technology to millions. Users can now enjoy greater control, security, and freedom in managing their digital presence, all while remaining connected across various applications and networks.
As web3 continues to grow, the WalletConnect Network will remain pivotal, allowing users to access the true promise of onchain technology in a secure, interoperable, and community-driven way.