Opinion articles present diverse opinions and do not represent the position of "WEB3+"

Various Abstractions for Web3: The Key to Mass Adoption

Abstraction is essentially a process of simplification. In the world of Web3, it means hiding complex blockchain operations behind a user-friendly interface, allowing users to easily use Web3 applications without knowing the underlying technology. This method can not only lower the entry barrier, but also greatly improve the user experience, thereby accelerating the popularity of Web3.

According to current technological development, we can divide abstraction into three stages:

The first stage, account abstraction: simplifying private key management

Account Abstraction (AA) is the first and most critical step in the Web3 abstraction process. Traditional blockchain wallets require users to manage complex private keys, which is a huge challenge for most people.

https://medium.com/@poporuii/how-close-are-we-to-a-chain-abstraction-future-ba46269be7b2

AA sets the standard for smart contract wallets, which brings the following benefits:
1. Easier user authentication: Users can use familiar methods (such as email, mobile phone number or social media account) to manage their crypto assets.
2. Higher security: Through mechanisms such as multi-signature and social recovery, the risk of asset loss is greatly reduced.
3. More flexible transaction processing: Supports batch transactions and automated operations, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
4. Better user experience: Gas-free transactions can be realized, allowing users to focus on the application itself rather than complex blockchain operations.

After EIP-4337, there are several related important improvements we can focus on:
1. EIP-3074: This proposal allows existing externally owned accounts (EOA) to be upgraded to AA-enabled accounts. It requires changes to the EVM, introducing new opcodes.
2. EIP-7702: As an improved version of EIP-3074, EIP-7702 does not require new opcodes, can be used with ERC-4337 with minimal changes, and can be temporarily upgraded to an account abstract wallet, thus Reduce the risk of escalation.

The second stage, blockchain abstraction: eliminate public chain boundaries and freely transfer assets

The core goal of AA is to simplify the user experience and lower the threshold for using Web3. However, as more and more blockchain projects emerge, how to achieve seamless interaction between different chains or to ignore the characteristics of different blockchains has become an important issue in UX.

It mainly involves several aspects of abstraction: network transaction fee abstraction, signature abstraction and Nonce abstraction.

These abstractions can make blockchain operations more intuitive and secure for end users, such as:

  • Gas-free transactions allow users to perform transactions without owning or managing native tokens, greatly improving the user experience.

  • The Gas token abstraction allows users to use any ERC20 token to pay transaction fees without having to hold the native token of a specific chain. This not only improves user convenience, but also paves the way for cross-chain operations.

  • Signature abstraction is committed to improving the security and transparency of transactions. Traditional externally owned accounts (EOA) typically require users to sign an incomprehensible hexadecimal string. By implementing specifications such as EIP-712, users can have a clearer understanding of what they are signing, including information such as the called contract and chain ID.

  • Nonce abstraction solves the problems caused by linear nonces. By implementing concepts such as 2D Nonce, users can send transactions in parallel, greatly improving the user experience in scenarios such as multi-signature.

The third stage, the ultimate goal: non-aware Web3

Blockchain abstraction is the ultimate goal of Web3 abstraction.

The introduction of ERC-4337 brings more possibilities to smart contract wallets, such as session keys, multi-signatures, and arbitrary logic execution. The most important thing is that it provides a standardized implementation method for these functions, which contributes to the unification and development of the ecosystem.

At this stage of development, blockchain technology will be completely integrated into our daily lives and business activities, and users will not even realize that they are using blockchain:
1. Unperceptive user experience: Users can use Web3 applications just like traditional applications without understanding any blockchain-related concepts.
2. Comprehensive data sovereignty: Users have complete control over their own data and can freely transfer and use this data between different applications.
3. New business models: Based on the characteristics of blockchain, production relations have been changed, and new business models and organizational forms will emerge.

Opinion articles present diverse opinions and do not represent the position of "WEB3+"
Review editor: Shao Yuanting