What is Web3 and how is it different from Web2?
Web2 is the current internet: centrally controlled platforms (Facebook, Google, AWS) where users interact with services owned by companies that control the data, identity, and rules. Web3 is an emerging paradigm built on blockchain technology: users own their identity (wallet address, not a platform-managed account), own their assets (tokens and NFTs on the blockchain, not stored in a platform database), and interact with open protocols (smart contracts that anyone can read, verify, and interact with not proprietary APIs). Practically for developers: Web3 development adds blockchain interactions alongside traditional web development. A Web3 application might use SIWE (wallet-based authentication) instead of email/password, store ownership records on-chain instead of a database, and gate access based on token holdings rather than subscription status. Web3 does not replace Web2 for most use cases it adds blockchain properties (ownership, transparency, trustlessness) where those properties create genuine user value.
What is Sign In With Ethereum (SIWE) and why would I use it?
Sign In With Ethereum (SIWE, EIP-4361) is an authentication standard that lets users authenticate with their Ethereum wallet instead of a password. The flow: the server generates a nonce and a structured message ("I authorize this application to use my account"), the user signs the message with their wallet private key (no transaction, no gas fee just a signature), the server verifies the signature was produced by the claimed wallet address. The result: the user is authenticated as the owner of that wallet address no password, no email required. SIWE is appropriate when: your users already have Ethereum wallets (they are using your DApp or Web3 product), or wallet ownership is a core part of the user identity model (token holdings, on-chain reputation). SIWE can be used alongside traditional authentication users choose to connect their wallet to their existing account to unlock Web3 features.
What is an ENS name and how is it used in applications?
ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is the decentralised naming system for Ethereum addresses analogous to DNS for IP addresses. An ENS name like `vitalik.eth` resolves to an Ethereum address (and vice versa reverse resolution). ENS names can also carry profile data: an avatar (stored on IPFS or as a data URI in ENS records), a display name, a bio, and links to social profiles. In Web3 applications, ENS integration improves UX by: displaying `vitalik.eth` instead of `0xd8dA...6045` for connected wallet addresses (making addresses human-readable), allowing users to type ENS names instead of hex addresses in send/receive flows (with ENS resolution to validate the address), and providing profile data (avatar, display name) for authenticated users without requiring them to set up a profile in the application.
What is a DAO and what does DAO tooling include?
A DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation) is an organisation governed by smart contracts and token holders decisions are made via on-chain proposals and voting rather than by a traditional board. DAO tooling provides the user interface for governance participation: a proposal dashboard (list active, pending, and closed proposals with vote counts and status), a voting interface (cast votes on-chain for, against, or abstain with gas fee display), a delegation interface (delegate voting power to another address useful for token holders who want to participate in governance but do not want to vote on every proposal), a treasury view (display the DAO's multi-sig treasury holdings and transaction history), and Snapshot integration (many DAOs use Snapshot for off-chain signalling votes gasless, no on-chain transaction required for voting before binding on-chain votes). ClickMasters builds DAO tooling for organisations using OpenZeppelin Governor, Compound Governor Bravo, or Snapshot as their governance framework.
