For Web3 developers, the most headache-inducing issue is 'wallet adaptation'—not only needing to interface with different blockchain wallet APIs, but also dealing with version updates and worrying about security vulnerabilities. However, today, over 65,000 DApp developers have chosen the same shortcut: integrating WalletConnect. This open-source protocol, born in 2018, allows developers to save 90% of adaptation costs with its feature of 'one integration, compatible across all chains', while also gaining the traffic bonus of 47.5 million users, making it an 'essential tool' for Web3 development.
In the early days of Web3 development, the path for developers in 'wallet adaptation' was truly 'fraught with difficulties'. At that time, Ethereum, Solana, BSC, and other blockchains were fighting their own battles, with each ecosystem having its own independent wallet system: the MetaMask for Ethereum needed to use the Web3.js library, the Phantom for Solana had to use Solana-web3.js, while BSC's Trust Wallet had its own SDK. If developers wanted to make their DApps support multiple chains, they had to assemble a dedicated adaptation team to interface with the APIs of different wallets one by one, which not only extended the development cycle by several months but also required dealing with different wallet version iterations, and any misstep could lead to compatibility issues.
A certain DeFi project's early team revealed that in order to adapt to 5 mainstream wallets, they invested 2 developers for a full month, which caused the iteration of core functions to lag behind, missing the best window period of the DeFi boom; some NFT platforms were only able to support 1 wallet when launched due to untimely wallet adaptation, resulting in insufficient user coverage, ultimately becoming a "niche application." This fragmented adaptation dilemma has deterred many small and medium developers and constrained the overall development of the Web3 ecosystem.
The emergence of WalletConnect has completely changed this situation. It is like a "unified interface" in the Web3 world; developers only need to integrate the WalletConnect SDK once to automatically be compatible with over 600 mainstream wallets, covering 47.5 million users, with adaptation costs directly reduced by 90%. Whether it's top wallets like MetaMask and Trust Wallet or niche wallets like imToken and Math Wallet, as long as they support the WalletConnect protocol, they can seamlessly connect with DApps, and developers no longer need to write adaptation code separately for different wallets.
A certain emerging DApp developer stated: "Our team only has 3 people, and it was completely unrealistic to support multi-chain wallets in the past. After integrating WalletConnect, we completed all adaptations in just one week, and we can reach full-chain users upon launch, with user growth speed tripling our expectations." This advantage of "once development, full ecological coverage" has made WalletConnect quickly become a "hot commodity" for developers.
In addition to being "convenient," WalletConnect's security features also give developers peace of mind. For DApps, user asset security is directly related to the platform's reputation—once user assets are lost due to wallet connection vulnerabilities, it will not only trigger user rights protection but may also lead to the complete collapse of the project. WalletConnect adopts an "end-to-end encryption" architecture, where all transaction authorization data is directly transmitted between the wallet and the DApp, without going through third-party servers, and does not store any user data, fundamentally eliminating the risk of "man-in-the-middle attacks."
A third-party security agency previously conducted penetration testing on 100 DApps integrated with WalletConnect, and the results showed that no security vulnerabilities appeared in any connection links. As of May 2024, during the use of WalletConnect by over 65,000 DApps, there has never been an asset loss incident caused by protocol issues. This "zero security incident" record allows developers to rest easy, no longer losing sleep over connection security.
WalletConnect's full-chain compatibility also allows developers to easily seize the "new chain dividend." Whenever a new public chain (like Aptos or Sui) is launched, developers only need to add the corresponding chain ID in the WalletConnect backend to quickly support new chain users, without needing to redevelop the adaptation module. After the Aptos public chain was launched in 2023, a certain NFT platform completed the adaptation for the Aptos chain through WalletConnect in just 3 days, becoming one of the first platforms to support the Aptos ecosystem and quickly seizing the traffic dividend of the new chain; when the Sui chain ecosystem exploded in early 2024, multiple DeFi projects leveraged WalletConnect's full-chain compatibility to complete the Sui chain adaptation within a week, seizing user growth opportunities in a timely manner.
As the scale of the ecosystem expands, WalletConnect has also provided "additional incentives" for developers through the WCT token. Developers who stake WCT can apply for ecological fund support for DApp market promotion or functional development; they can also participate in WalletConnect's protocol upgrade testing in advance to gain new features and enhance their DApp's competitiveness. A certain DApp obtained a $100,000 ecological fund through WCT staking for overseas market promotion, increasing its monthly active users from 50,000 to 150,000; other developers have pushed WalletConnect to add a "batch transfer authorization" feature through WCT governance, increasing the transaction efficiency of their DApp by 50%.
Now, WalletConnect has become the "industry standard" for Web3 development: in the decentralized exchange sector, over 95% of leading platforms use it as their preferred connection solution; in the NFT sector, mainstream platforms like OpenSea and Blur achieve multi-chain compatibility through it; in the blockchain game and metaverse scenarios, it supports real-time interactions for millions of users. In the first quarter of 2024, the average monthly connection count of WalletConnect exceeded 30 million, a year-on-year increase of 50%. Behind this data is the collective choice of over 65,000 developers.
For the Web3 industry, the value of WalletConnect lies not only in "lightening the load" for developers but also in lowering the development threshold of Web3, giving more small and medium teams opportunities to participate in ecological construction. It proves that true Web3 infrastructure should be "developer-friendly"—only by allowing developers to focus more on core functional innovations rather than repetitive adaptation work can the ecosystem truly thrive.
In summary, WalletConnect being the "preferred tool" for over 65,000 DApps is not coincidental, but an inevitable result of "solving the real pain points of developers + creating real value." It is like the "traffic password" for Web3 developers, connecting developers' innovative needs while also linking the traffic dividend of 47.5 million users, all while safeguarding asset security. On the path to popularizing Web3, such "developer-friendly" infrastructure will undoubtedly become a key support for ecological collaborative development.
