Partnered With:

Inventory of ERC-4337 use cases: 18 projects funded by the Ethereum Foundation.

Read this article in 29 Minutes

The ERC-4337 Account Abstraction Grant Program has supported 18 diverse projects built around account abstraction.

Original Title: "A Comprehensive Review of 18 Ethereum Foundation-Funded Projects Using ERC-4337 Use Cases"

Original Source: ERC-4337

Original Translation: Deep Tide TechFlow

ERC-4337 account abstraction funding project has successfully concluded. The funding program will support 18 teams to build diverse projects around ERC-4337 (also known as account abstraction).

Each team's project is uniquely aligned with the goals funded by ERC-4337 AA. We believe the results of these efforts will have a ripple effect throughout the ecosystem, inspiring new ideas and opportunities for collaboration.

The passionate and talented individuals driving these projects are the core of the success of this round of funding. They have demonstrated a deep understanding of the Ethereum spirit and are committed to pushing the boundaries of possibility. The recipients of this round of funding possess a variety of skills and experiences, all dedicated to advancing the capabilities of Ethereum.

In order to understand the situation of each project and leadership team, we have written project overviews, which are provided by the teams themselves (in no particular order). As these projects progress, we eagerly anticipate their developments and potential impact on the trajectory of Ethereum.

ZeroDev Kernel

ZeroDev Kernel, abbreviated as Kernel, is an intelligent contract account designed from scratch, with the following characteristics:

Used for AA wallet - Kernel compatible with ERC-4337;

Efficient - We place great emphasis on optimizing its Gas usage;

Modularization - Kernel can be extended through "plugins".

A plugin is an intelligent contract that customizes account behavior. We recognize that it is impossible to predict the needs of users for smart contract accounts, as they will interact with many different DApps in the process of using their accounts. Therefore, the only solution is to make the account scalable so that users can add new features to their accounts over time.

As of the time of writing, Kernel is the most widely used AA account on all major EVM networks (Ethereum/Polygon/Arbitrum/Optimism/Base). Kernel is a project of ZeroDev, which provides infrastructure and tools for developers to integrate AAs.

Etherspot's Skandha Bundler

ERC-4337 introduces a separate memory pool designed specifically for wallet abstraction execution in accounts. In addition, it proposes a novel concept called "bundler" that merges user actions into the traditional transaction framework. This bundler-driven approach allows for the execution and implementation of account abstraction without changing the underlying protocol. This mechanism also lays the foundation for seamless integration in the future. In this case, the importance of the P2P interface in the bundler becomes apparent. By integrating the P2P interface, user actions received by a specific bundler will propagate among all interconnected nodes. Therefore, even if a specific bundler exhibits faulty behavior or conducts transaction audits, these user actions can still be processed by other bundlers in the network.

Etherspot team has helped the Ethereum Foundation to develop the protocol specification for a shared memory pool, and is currently piloting the implementation of the shared memory pool (P2P interface) using Etherspot's bundler. Etherspot's bundler is called Skandha. It is available on six test networks and eleven mainnets, including Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, Fuse, Mantle, Gnosis, Base, Avalanche, BNB, and Linea.

MynaWallet

MynaWallet is a contract account integrated with the identity card issued by the Japanese government (Myna Card), which is currently owned by approximately 100 million residents. MynaWallet enables users to seamlessly make token payments, transfers, or receive NFTs, and execute any transactions supported by their account without realizing the existence of cryptocurrency.

This has the potential to allow most Japanese residents to access cryptocurrency. If this initiative can become a precedent and inspire other countries to conduct similar experiments, connecting their national identity infrastructure with Ethereum and introducing their residents to the cryptocurrency field, we will be very happy.

Blocto: AA support for web3.js

We believe that our Web3.js project not only aligns with the goals of ERC-4337 AA funding, but also plays an important role in the broader field of dApp development.

In order to promote the development of ERC-4337, we have decided to share 4337-specific RPC methods through Web3.js, such as sendUserOperation, estimateUserOperationGas, getUserOperationByHash, getUserOperationReceipt, and supportedEntryPoints.

By doing this, developers can focus on what they really care about: amazing dApps. For example, if dApps want to provide a better user experience, they can simply change the call method from sendTransaction to sendUserOperation, as long as the wallet provider supports this feature.

Blocto firmly believes in simplifying these processes, promoting the growth of a supportive dApp ecosystem, and ultimately ushering in a new era of decentralized applications that prioritize both developers and users.

Silius

Silius is a modular and efficient Rust implementation of the ERC-4337 bundler. The project fully aligns with the broader ERC vision and ecosystem, stays up-to-date with specification changes, and supports upcoming features such as P2P protocols and alternative memory pools. The bundler's structure allows its core building blocks - main components and libraries - to be reused as Lego blocks in other AA projects in the ecosystem. Silius also contributes to the Rust Ethereum ecosystem by building and extending on other Rust libraries and projects.

Schnorrkel.js

We should emphasize the fact that Schnorr signatures are enabled through account abstraction. Without account abstraction, every dapp would have to write Schnorr signature handling in its contract and explain to the world and EOA wallets why they have to sign two messages (ECDSA for mempool, Schnorr for actual transaction), which makes it very cumbersome to use. All of these issues are solved with account abstraction. Simply sign UserOperation with Schnorr and pass it to the payer. Schnorr signature verification is handled by the AA smart contract. In other words, AA makes different signature schemes possible.

Why use multi-signature Schnorr?

The complexity is processed off-chain, making Schnorr verification on-chain very cheap (about 3k gas);

Privacy - On the chain, no one knows the number of participants because they are represented by a single address.

< p > QR-Seal is a fully ERC-4337 compatible Schnorr multi-signature wallet that uses the funded Schnorr library. AA and payment entities use the Ambire Wallet contract and Pimlico. We participated in the ETH Prague hackathon and won the ETH Future category award with QR seal. This hackathon highlighted the process of how two people created a multi-signature wallet and transmitted data through QR codes.

Ambire: Self-hosted Email/Password Authentication with DKIM

Email registration is a feasible method to introduce new users to the world of encryption, as it provides a familiar process for access and recovery using email. We will provide a simpler and more localized way to add recovery mechanisms or transaction signatures to abstracted wallet accounts, while providing higher security. This type of recovery or transaction signature will enhance the self-custody and user experience of new users in Web3.

This type of library will reduce the workload for other developers in providing a more user-friendly user experience for their applications while focusing on the AA solution.

Additionally, we believe that such applications will greatly attract new users in the Web3 world.

This library will be fully open source and licensed under permissive licenses like MIT, just like all of our current efforts in DKIM verification or email/password account management.

Ambire is a web-based account abstraction wallet that was launched at the end of 2021. It is the first wallet to offer self-custody account creation through email/password authentication, thanks to its underlying 2/2 multisig.

After running on the mainnet and other EVM networks for a year, we believe that email/password accounts demonstrate how account abstraction makes Ethereum more inclusive. We found that email-based registration is very suitable for those who do not have technical ability or patience to deal with seed phrases or browser extensions.

Ambire Smart Account provides options for multiple signers. We support two types of signers. The first type is email/password signers, and the second type is EOA, such as hardware wallets, browser extensions (Web3 wallets), etc.

When using an email/password signer, Ambire will create a 2/2 multisig behind the scenes for you, with one key located on your device and encrypted with a password, and the other key responsible for verifying the email confirmation code and stored on the backend HSM. Control of the account requires two keys, but only one key is needed to trigger the timed recovery process.

We provide recovery options for email/password accounts in case of lost password or email access. If only one key signs a transaction, the contract will trigger a 72-hour timelock recovery. After 72 hours, the missing key in the transaction will be replaced by a new key provided by the user in the same transaction.

IoTeX: Account Abstract Wallet Based on Zero-Knowledge Proof

By utilizing zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP), we have enhanced and expanded the potential of on-chain games, DeFi, DeSocial, DePIN, and other applications based on ZKP-based account abstraction wallets, establishing interoperability between Ethereum and real-world applications.

This wallet uses zkSNARK to confirm account access permissions: if the user has the correct password, they can use the prover to generate a valid proof to unlock the account. The on-chain smart contract then verifies this proof to authenticate the transaction.

Our forward-looking vision involves applying zero-knowledge proofs to multiple aspects of account abstract wallets, including conducting wallet operations through web2 identity verification, using web2 social media status for social recovery, and initializing zero-balance wallets through universal web2 payment channels.

The project team consists of two senior researchers from the IoTeX team.

SixdegreeLab: On-chain Data Analysis

The original vision of this project is to provide necessary knowledge and skills for Web3 data analysts to adapt to the changes in Ethereum and EVM chain data structures caused by ERC-4337, and to maintain effective on-chain data analysis. Specifically, this project will:

Provide several data indicator dashboards to help account abstract practitioners understand the ecological data situation. At the same time, create an aggregated data table to assist analysts' work.

Provide an educational tutorial document covering the impact of account abstraction on on-chain data analysis. This document will be open to Web3 data analysts, enabling them to adapt to new data structures and effectively conduct on-chain data analysis in Web3.

With more and more participants entering the field of account abstraction, including infrastructure, dApps, and mainstream users, we need a data-driven report to illustrate the current adoption of ERC-4337.

By addressing the impact of ERC-4337 on on-chain data analysis and exploring local account abstraction mechanisms in other Layer2 and EVM chains, this project can provide valuable insights and resources for data analysts working in the Ethereum ecosystem. This, in turn, can help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities and performance issues on the Ethereum platform more effectively, contributing to its continued success and growth.

Overall, this project can help ensure that on-chain data analysis remains a valuable and effective tool for the Ethereum community, and contributes to the growth and success of the Ethereum ecosystem by providing insights and resources for data analysts working in Ethereum, Layer2, and EVM chains.

Jam: Picnic's DeFi Trading Batch Processor

Jam is an open-source API that generates DeFi operations for ERC-4337 applications. The goal is to make it easy for developers to provide a variety of DeFi products through a simple API, while making DeFi more accessible to end-users. You can ask Jam how to perform specific DeFi operations and receive calldata that executes all necessary steps to complete the operation in a single transaction.

Over the past two years, we (Picnic) have been collaborating with various DeFi integrations and have experienced the difficulties of maintaining this infrastructure. We believe that the best way forward is to transform it into a public good, and the funding from the Ethereum Foundation is an excellent way to coordinate with the community.

TokenSight: Multi-Factor Authentication with Account Abstraction Using WebAuthn

TokenSight aims to address issues related to on-chain smart contract wallet security, with methods primarily focused on two overlapping directions - creating an ERC-4337 smart contract wallet with WebAuthn devices, and providing developer tools for existing ERC-4337 wallets to add WebAuthn devices as a multi-factor transaction authorization mechanism.

Our method is based on a fully on-chain implementation and optimized for Gas costs, providing maximum security and decentralization without using any MPC architecture for WebAuthn signature verification.

The team behind this project consists of Nasi and Blagoj, who have years of experience in the blockchain industry. We are passionate about smart contract security and believe that providing maximum security and a seamless user experience for funds in users' smart contract wallets is crucial to attracting the next billion users. We are currently building Tokensight, which will be the first application to use our open-source WebAuthn wallet.

ZK-Team: PriFi Labs' Team Privacy-Preserving Account Abstraction

One valuable aspect of abstracting an account in the encryption industry is that it can facilitate the sharing of account ownership among team members, allowing them to seamlessly transact as a unified entity. An organization can create an abstract account and establish predefined rules to manage authorized individuals and their allocated spending limits. In a simple setup, team members' addresses and their corresponding allowances may be written onto the blockchain. This raises a reasonable privacy concern, as the organization may not want to publicly disclose this sensitive information.

ZK-Team is a concept verification of privacy-protecting abstract accounts, allowing organizations to manage team members while maintaining personal privacy. By utilizing zero-knowledge proofs, ZK-Team ensures the confidentiality of unique addresses and related allowances of team members in transactions. We hope that our project can become a one-stop solution for managing teams and assets for organizations, and also serve as a reference for Ethereum developers who use zero-knowledge proofs to protect the privacy of information stored in account abstractions.

PriFi Labs is a startup company based in Toronto, Canada, dedicated to researching how to enhance the security and privacy of blockchain applications.

Rhinestone: Modular Account Abstraction

The account abstraction promise provides enhanced security and meaningful user experience improvements without compromising the ideals of Web3. At Rhinestone, we believe that the future of account abstraction is modular, with modules being smart contracts that extend the functionality of smart accounts, providing a new platform for innovation in permissionless wallets.

However, opening intelligent accounts to third-party developers through modules will increase the attack surface of user accounts. We are developing a standard for registering modules and declarations to state the security of these modules. This registry serves as a trust delegation mechanism for intelligent accounts to query before installing third-party modules, increasing user security assurance.

AAA: Account Abstraction Afterhours

At AAA, it all started with a simple idea - to improve understanding of AA and 4337. Although we may no longer be personally involved in coding work, our passion for technology and commitment to the adoption of large-scale encryption technology remains steadfast. We firmly believe that account abstraction is the key to driving widespread adoption.

From the initial developer gathering, we have grown into a series of influential events held on three continents. These events provide a platform for knowledge sharing and community building, perfectly aligned with the goals supported by ERC-4337 AA funding.

Looking to the future, we are excited about further expanding our influence. Educational videos and interactive tutorials are about to be launched, enabling us to empower more people with the ability to participate in and understand cryptographic technology. We are honored to be a part of this journey and committed to making meaningful contributions to the field of cryptographic technology.

Unpacking 4337 - A series of technical articles

The author of the series of articles has received a grant aimed at helping to understand the operation mechanism of the EIP-4337 component. The goal is to reduce the time and effort required for developers and researchers to catch up with progress and start focusing on specific areas of interest where they can make further contributions.

These three themes are:

User operation lifecycle: The journey of user operation in the packager and the different functions called by the packager in the entry point for validation and ultimately submitting it to the chain.

Understanding different Gas parameters: Multiple Gas parameters (listed below) are specified at the packager, memory pool, and user operation levels. Explain these parameters and their impact.

Explanation of different calldata parameters: input transaction calldata, UserOp.calldata, and multi-send Txns calldata.

Hexlink: EIP-4972 - Linking ENS with ERC-4337 Accounts

Hexlink aims to provide an AA-compatible smart account for all ENS users, which can be directly used through EIP-4972. With Hexlink, each ENS name can derive a unique AA-compatible smart account, which is deployed only by the domain name owner and can be used to immediately receive cryptocurrency. Considering that most ENS names are currently controlled by EOA, we believe that this dual account setup will help migrate from EOA to smart accounts, turning all existing ENS users into AA users and promoting wider adoption of AA.

UniPass: OpenID Authentication Module

The account abstraction allows developers to customize the verification logic and use various internet infrastructure for user authentication. Our UniPass team is introducing a novel user authentication solution that uses on-chain signatures of ID tokens verified by the OpenID Connect protocol - for new user onboarding and recovery OpenID authentication solution.

This solution, used in conjunction with ERC-4337, provides new users who use social logins such as Google and Apple with the convenience of one-click OAuth login and account creation. In addition, it simplifies the recovery process in case of key loss or damage. The project aims to build a library that allows ERC-4337 wallet developers to easily integrate OpenID authentication into their products.

Clave: Promoting secp256r1 curve support for AA

Despite the emergence of abstract solutions for accounts, providing a better user experience without compromising security remains one of the main challenges. The Clave team (formerly Opclave) is researching and developing solutions that utilize local software and hardware on mobile devices as tools for signers, elevating mobile wallets to the security level of hardware wallets by maximizing user experience. The following are some of the goals of this authorization:

Research results on solutions such as Secure Enclave, WebAuthn, and Passkeys for shared use and utilization.

Provide sample code for using these solutions as transaction signers.

Provide sample code for smart contracts to handle these signed transactions.

By integrating Solidity verifier and precompiled contracts, example account contracts managed by these solutions are provided.

Advocate EIP-7212 to improve these solutions for efficient use in the EVM.

Clave team consists of developers and researchers who introduced this concept for the first time at the "ETHGlobal Scaling Ethereum 2023" hackathon. Now, the team is working on utilizing the trusted execution environment of mobile devices as signers to provide account-driven accounts abstraction.