In this tutorial, we will introduce you to MetaMask and Cronos, and how to add Cronos to MetaMask.
About Metamask and Cronos Blockchain
What is MetaMask?
MetaMask, owned by ConsenSys, is a crypto wallet used to interact with the Ethereum blockchain, available for users as a web browser extension and a mobile wallet. As a crypto gateway, MetaMask can be used to connect to other blockchains besides Ethereum.
In November 2021, MetaMask surpassed the 21M Monthly Active Users milestone, making it the most popular Ethereum-based wallet. Later on, in March 2022, it raised $450M in a Series D round, valuing it at $7B.
Notable features of MetaMask:
- Friendly and easy-to-use UI.
- Easy to interact with other supported Dapps.
- An in-app DEX aggregator that allows users to swap ERC20 tokens natively.
- Data is owned by users who hold the passphrase.
What is Cronos?
Cronos is an EVM-compatible sidechain running in parallel with the Crypto.org Chain. Cronos Chain is somehow similar to Binance Smart Chain, where it has developed from a CEX to a blockchain. Currently, Cronos is running on a Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus algorithm and is powered by Ethermint, a PoS chain interoperable with Ethereum.
The Cronos blockchain uses CRO as the native token, serving as the gas fee (the fee you need to pay to the network).
Highlights of the Cronos blockchain:
- EVM-compatible: With Ethermint, Cronos can support any smart contracts, DAOs, or Dapps deployed on Ethereum.
- Scalable: TPS on Cronos is higher than that of Ethereum. Therefore, Cronos is faster & cheaper to execute smart contracts.
- Interoperable: IBC is a protocol that allows interaction between blockchains and will help Cronos interoperate and bridge to the Crypto.org Chain, and other IBC-enabled chains, such as Cosmos Hub, Osmosis, Terra, Injective, etc.
- Easy deployment: Users can follow the deployment instructions to quickly deploy products on the Cronos network for any purpose.
Since Cronos is an EVM-compatible blockchain, it can be connected via MetaMask. Using MetaMask lets users interact with Dapps on Cronos such as VVS Finance to swap tokens.
How to add Cronos to Metamask in 3 steps
Metamask is available for download on mobile (iOS and Android) and web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Edge.
This article will introduce how to connect Metamask to Cronos Network on the web browser, Chrome.
Step 1: Installing MetaMask Wallet
- Go to metamask.io/.
- Click “Install MetaMask for Chome” to download the extension.
- Install MetaMask to Chrome and create a MetaMask wallet.
- Log in to your MetaMask wallet.
Your MetaMask will look like this if you successfully log in to MetaMask.
After MetaMask has been installed, you'll see this as the default user interface. Don't forget to store the passphrase someplace safe and secret so that you can recover the wallet if you forget the password.
Note: Passwords and paraphrases should never be shared or revealed to anyone.
Step 2: Connecting Metamask to Cronos
After logging in, MetaMask will set the Ethereum blockchain as default. To switch to using Cronos on MetaMask, we will walk you through the following steps.
At the top left corner of the MetaMask interface, select “Ethereum Mainnet” to drop down the menu, then click the “Add Network” button.
The web will direct you to the Settings page, where you can add a blockchain network. We will manually add the Cronos Mainnet Beta to MetaMask as we first use MetaMask. We just switch Cronos to other blockchains at hand in later usage.
Cronos Mainnet Beta:
- Network Name: Cronos Mainnet Beta
- New RPC URL: https://evm.cronos.org
- ChainID: 25
- Symbol: CRO
- Block Explorer URL: https://cronos.org/explorer
Fill in the network details and click Save.
Well done, you have successfully connected Cronos to MetaMask.
Step 3: Switching between blockchains on MetaMask
In the previous steps, you are introduced to connecting Cronos to MetaMask. If you prefer to connect to other blockchains, click “Cronos Mainnet Beta” as in the picture below to select your network.
