What to Expect in Web3: Connecting a Digital Wallet Instead of Logging In

In Web3, you do not create an account in the traditional sense. You connect a digital wallet. This is not a design trend or a UX experiment. It reflects a different way of handling digital identity and access. Understanding this difference early helps avoid confusion later.

How Logging In Works in Web2

In Web2, logging in usually means creating an account managed by the platform. You provide an email and a password. The service stores your credentials, keeps track of your activity, and decides how access is handled. If something goes wrong, recovery options exist because the platform controls the account. Credentials live with the service.

How Digital Wallet Connection Works in Web3

In Web3, connecting a digital wallet replaces logging in. The digital wallet represents your digital identity. No account is created on the platform, and no username or password is stored by the service. The platform reads information from the digital wallet, but it does not own or manage it. The digital wallet is the source of truth.

What Users Expect vs. What Actually Happens

People often bring Web2 expectations into Web3 without realizing it. A common expectation is that a profile exists even when no digital wallet is connected. In Web3, if the digital wallet is not connected, there is no digital identity for the application to read. Nothing is “missing”; there is simply no digital identity present.

Another expectation is that the same digital wallet will behave identically across all apps. In practice, different applications may display different information or interact with the digital wallet in different ways, depending on what they support. The digital wallet is the same, but the experience can vary. For example, one application may show a human-readable identity or profile details, while another only recognizes the wallet address. In another case, an app may allow a digital wallet to sign actions but not display any digital identity information at all. The digital wallet has not changed. The application’s level of support has.

Some users also expect a persistent “logged-in” state. In Web3, access is tied to the digital wallet connection itself. When the digital wallet disconnects, the application no longer has a digital identity to work with. This is normal behavior, not a session failure.

Why This Design Exists

Web3 does not rely on a central digital identity database. Digital identity is controlled by the user through the digital wallet, not by individual platforms. Services do not own accounts and cannot modify or recover them independently. This design supports the principle of ownership and reduces reliance on intermediaries, but it also changes how access is handled.

What to Expect Going Forward

Connecting a digital wallet is not the same as logging in. Your digital identity travels with the digital wallet, not with a specific application. Different apps may read or use that digital identity differently, depending on their capabilities and scope.

Once this is understood, digital wallet connections feel less unpredictable and more consistent with how Web3 systems are designed to work.