The Alankrit Srivastava Blog

Tag: web3 security

  • Day 15 — What Actually Makes an App a dApp?

    Watercolor illustration of a user interface connecting a wallet to decentralized smart contracts

    What a decentralized application is

    A decentralized application, or dApp, is an app that uses blockchain-based rules instead of relying only on one company’s server.

    The screen may look like a normal website. However, the important actions connect to smart contracts.

    That is what makes a decentralized application different from a regular web app.

    The frontend still matters

    Most dApps still have a frontend. This is the page users see in the browser.

    The frontend helps users read information, choose actions, and connect a wallet.

    So, a decentralized application is not only smart contracts. It also needs a usable interface.

    The wallet replaces the login

    In many dApps, the wallet acts like the user account.

    The wallet signs messages and transactions. Then the blockchain can verify that the action came from the right user.

    This gives users more control, but it also creates more responsibility.

    Smart contracts hold the rules

    A smart contract is code that runs on a blockchain.

    For a decentralized application, smart contracts may manage tokens, lending, voting, swaps, or game items.

    Because the rules are public, users can inspect them. Still, public code can contain bugs.

    The takeaway

    A decentralized application combines a frontend, wallets, smart contracts, and on-chain state.

    It can be powerful because users interact with open rules. However, they must also understand fees, signatures, and contract risk.

  • Day 11 — How Can a Wallet Prove It Is You Without a Password?

    A private wallet key creating a verifiable digital signature

    How a wallet proves it is you

    A crypto wallet does not prove your identity with a password. It proves control with a digital signature.

    This is an important shift. A blockchain does not need a private password database. Instead, it checks public cryptographic proof.

    Your wallet keeps the secret. The network checks the signature.

    Private key, public key, and address

    The private key is the sensitive part. It should stay secret forever.

    From that key, wallet software can derive a public key and an address. Other people can know the address safely.

    When you send crypto, your wallet signs the action. The signature proves that the private key approved it.

    Why the password comparison is misleading

    A normal app stores account access on a company server. If you forget your password, the company can often reset it.

    A crypto wallet is different. If you lose the recovery phrase, there may be no reset button.

    Therefore, self-custody gives control, but it also creates responsibility.

    What a signature protects

    A signature lets the network check permission. It also protects the private key from being revealed.

    That means a wallet can approve a transaction without sending its secret to the blockchain.

    The takeaway

    A crypto wallet proves control, not identity. The private key signs. The public network verifies. Then the blockchain updates the state.