By James Davis
Arbitrum is a layer-2 network built on top of Ethereum to provide cheaper and quicker transactions than the underlying network. The need for layer-2s came when Ethereum started witnessing a surge in development activity a few years ago, causing congestion on the network that led to higher gas fees.
Besides Arbitrum, other Ethereum scaling solutions include Polygon, Loopring, and Immutable X. This article will focus on Arbitrum, the network created by the US-based company Offchain Labs.
Why Use Arbitrum?
Arbitrum uses Optimistic Rollups to offer cheap transactions. This technology bundles multiple transactions and then processes them as one. The network handles about 35,000 transactions per second (TPS). By comparison, Ethereum can only process 14 TPS.
Arbitrum also makes it possible for Ethereum developers to integrate their decentralized applications (dApps) with the protocol without requiring any modification.
How Do You Access the Arbitrum Network?
To access Arbitrum, you need a crypto wallet that supports the network. This article explains how you can add Arbitrum to the most popular wallet MetaMask, which is available as a mobile app or browser extension.
To add Arbitrum to this wallet, some information about the network is required, including its name, Chain ID, and a custom Remote Procedure call. After providing this data, you can add Arbitrum tokens to the wallet.
How to Install and Set Up MetaMask
This article teaches you how to install MetaMask as a browser extension. The first step involves visiting the wallet’s official website (metamask.io). Do not download it from any other platform to avoid getting scammed. On the website, click the ‘Download’ tab and then ‘Download for Chrome’ to initiate wallet installation.
Once MetaMask is installed, open it and click the ‘Get Started’ button. You will then be asked to import a wallet or create a new one. Those with an existing wallet can use the seed phrase to import it. If you do not have a wallet, Click ‘Create a Wallet.’ You will be directed to another page that displays your seed phrase. Note it down because you will need it to access your wallet in case you cannot remember your password.
After writing the seed/recovery phase down, click ‘Continue.’ MataMask will request you to input the phrase on the page that follows. Once done, click the ‘Confirm’ button to complete the process. On your newly created wallet, you will realize that it is connected to Ethereum. In the section below, you will learn how to add Arbitrum.
How to Connect Arbitrum on MetaMask
MetaMask is a multichain wallet, meaning it supports several networks. Here is how you can add Arbitrum:
Open your MetaMask wallet, and right before the wallet’s logo, you will see the network dropdown menu, click on it. After that, click the ‘Add Network’ button, which will take you to a different page. On this page, input the following Arbitrum’s information: network name, new RPC URL, chain ID, currency symbol input ETH, and blockchain explorer URL. To get this data, visit arbiscan.io and click ‘Add to MetaMask’ at the button-right of the homepage. Note that this platform provides an option to add Arbitrum on MetaMask in just a few clicks, so you don’t have to input the data manually.
How to Add Arbitrum Tokens to MetaMask
Adding Abitrum tokens to your wallet is simple. Here is how to go about it. First, visit the Arbitrum block explorer (arbiscan.io). On this platform, you will find the details of every token running on this network. It is worth highlighting that not all smart contracts listed on the block explorer are legitimate. So confirming the token address from the project’s official site is advised.
After doing so, go to your MetaMask and click the ‘Import Tokens’ button. Now add the contract address of the token, and MetaMask will automatically generate the rest of the token’s data. To complete the process, click ‘Add Custom Token’ followed by ‘Import Tokens.’ Now the token balance will be displayed.
After adding Arbitrum to MetaMask, send some ETH to your wallet to cover transaction fees. You can then start exploring various dApps operating on this layer-2 network.