MetaMask to be usable outside the EVM ecosystem with Snaps launch

MetaMask, the most widely used web3 wallet, has announced the launch of a new software mechanism called Snaps — aimed at expanding its use on blockchain networks that are not natively compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Until now, MetaMask has primarily been used with Ethereum and Ethereum-compatible blockchains like BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum and Optimism. Snaps will enable MetaMask's use on non-EVM blockchains that include Cosmos, Solana, Tezos, Starknet and Algorand, among others.

Snaps are software modules that can be integrated into the MetaMask wallet for different add-on use cases, such as making the wallet compatible across multiple blockchain ecosystems with specialized code.

MetaMask to onboard third-party developers for Snaps

Initially, MetaMask plans to initially release over 34 Snaps for various add-on features — which have undergone security audits and have been subsequently whitelisted by the team. The team has stated that it will allow third-party developers to independently ship and maintain Snaps.

MetaMask has engaged with over 150 developers to broaden the development work on Snaps, the team said.

“We are building MetaMask Snaps as an open platform for innovation and we do not charge developers for publishing Snaps to this platform," said Christian Montoya, product lead for MetaMask Snaps. "We believe that permissionless innovation is a cornerstone of a decentralized system — no gatekeepers."

MetaMask explains a Snap as a JavaScript application executed in a isolated setting, designed to customize its wallet interface.

A Snap can introduce new API functions to MetaMask, provide compatibility for various blockchain systems, or alter existing functionalities features using the Snaps JSON-RPC API, according to official documentation. It's based on hardened javascript technology developed by contributors at Agoric in collaboration with MetaMask and others.