Installing MetaMask¶
Firstly, we are going to install MetaMask. That is a browser plugin which can securely store private keys and connect to different blockchains.
How this exactly works is something we discuss later. For now we just play around.
Download MetaMask¶
Open https://metamask.io and download the plugin for your browser
Perfect, that's it. Now, let's setup MetaMask and make it secure.
Setup MetaMask¶
When you install MetaMask, then it will automatically open up a "setup" page.
Hit "Begin" and walk through the setup-wizard. Let's create a new Wallet!
Statistical Information¶
If you want to send statistical information, is totally up to you, both is fine:
Set a Password¶
Create a new strong password. This password is used to encrypt your private keys. What private keys are exactly is discussed in a later section of the course, suffice to say though, they give access to all your Ether. So, better have a strong password here:
Backup Phrase¶
It would be better to safely store the secret phrase, but for sake of simplicity, let's just skip this for now:
Seed Phrase
A seed phrase (or here: Backup Phrase) is usually a number of human-readable words (e.g. 12 words). This represents the "master key" to regain access to all your accounts. It is a simple algorithm to create a number of private keys based on your backup phrase. Don't worry if you don't know yet what this means - just remember: Never (like never ever) give out your seed phrase!
Final Screen¶
And you should be greeted with this screen:
Let's see now how we can use MetaMask to transfer Ether...