Opera has Added Built-in Ethereum

The fifth most popular browser after Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, has included built-in Ethereum support to its desktop app, allowing Web 3.0, an ecosystem that enables users to effortlessly interact with decentralized applications (dApps) and peer-to-peer systems on the blockchain.

To use Ethereum-based Dapps, users need to have non-custodial wallets such as MetaMask to securely send transaction on the mainnet. However, for most casual users, depending on external applications as an additional step towards using dApps could limit availability.

Opera only accounts 3.7 percent of the market share of the browser industry. Yet, this is due to the fact that Chrome and Safari have total dominance over the browser industry with a joint market share of 71 percent.

The addition of Ethereum and the ERC20 standard by Opera is a vital move towards mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies and dApps. Although its market share and user base are relatively smaller compared to its rivals. Opera is a popular browser with an active and loyal user base.

Presently, on Google Chrome, most Ethereum and dApp users depend on MetaMask, a non-custodial Ethereum wallet run by ConsenSys, a blockchain software studio developed and operated by Ethereum co-creator Joseph Lubin.

Users need to download and install the plugin in Google’s browser store to access MetaMask. On Opera, given that the wallet is already part of the browser, users and effortlessly use its built-in infrastructure to access dApps.

One Ethereum user who tired the ETH addition on Opera noted:

“I tried it out today – it’s incredible to think that mainstream browsers are integrating Web 3.0. I love the split between mobile and desktop – security of mobile with the convenience of the desktop. And yes, mobile phones are still way more secure than desktops. They need some work on supporting ropsten – I ran into numerous issues that were not a problem with mainnet.”