Polkadot.js
This is a guide for introducing wallets supported in Karura, and details walkthrough for installing the Polkadot{.js} browser extension.
Wallets Kusama Supports
It's time to get you onboarded into the Kusama & Polkadot ecosystem. Karura is a parachain connected to Kusama for security and cross-chain ability. If you ever have questions, please ask in the Karura & Acala Discord.
Currently Karura supports the following web extensions wallets:
Polkadot{.js}
Talisman
SubWallet
While we will go through in detail the installation of Polkadot{.js} in this article, you may find Talisman installation guide here and SubWallet installation guide here.
Intro to Polkadot{.js} - The Wallet for Kusama & Polkadot Parachains
Polkadot{.js} is the primary option for a non-custodial wallet in the Kusama and Polkadot ecosystem. Since Kusama is a parachain built on Kusama, the Polkadot{.js} extension is what you'll use to interact with Karura's DeFi applications. New to Karura and Kusama? Here's a 14 minute introductory video.
Since Kusama and Polkadot will both scale up to have 100+ parachains connected to them, Polkadot{.js} was configured a bit differently than you may be used to with single-chain wallets like MetaMask. Here is a 3 minute intro to how wallets work on Kusama:
Installing Polkadot{.js}
Install the Browser Plugin
The browser plugin is available for both Google Chrome (and Chromium based browsers like Brave) and FireFox. Download the plugin here.
This browser extension does one thing: it manages accounts and allows the signing of transactions with those accounts (like submitting a DeFi transaction on Karura). It does not perform wallet functions, like sending or receiving, or show you wallet balances. To perform wallet functions you can use Karura, or after setting up your Polkadot{.js} browser plugin, you can use the Polkadot{.js} Apps website to check balances, participate in Kusama staking, and more.
Once you install the Browser plugin, be sure to pin it to your toolbar:
Create Account
Open the Polkadot{.js} browser extension by clicking the logo on the top bar of your browser. You will see a browser popup not unlike the one below:
2. Click the big plus button or select Create new account from the small plus icon in the top right. The Polkadot{.js} plugin will then use system randomness to make a new seed for you and display it to you in the form of twelve words.
3. You should back up these words as explained here on the Polkadot wiki. It is imperative to store the seed somewhere safe, secret, and secure. If you cannot access your account via Polkadot{.js} for some reason, you can re-enter your seed through the Add account menu by selecting Import account from pre-existing seed.
Set Account Name & Password
The account name is arbitrary and for your use only. The password will be used to encrypt this account's information. You will need to re-enter it when using the account for any kind of outgoing transaction or when using it to sign a message.
Note that this password does NOT protect your seed phrase. If someone knows the twelve words in your mnemonic seed, they still have control over your account even if they do not know the password.
Do not ever share your seed phrase or password.
3. Keep "Network" as "Allow use on any chain".
Convert Address for different chain formats
If you ever wanted to see what an account format looks like for different networks within the Kusama and Polkadot ecosystem, you can use the Subscan Address Transform tool to convert your address between the different chain formats.
Enter any address in the input box on the left-hand side, then click Transform button, you can see address formats for all chains on the right-hand side.
Video Tutorial
Below is a video walk-through of everything mentioned above:
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