A Closer Look At Mailchain's Tezos Integration

We were treated to some exciting news recently with the announcement of Mailchain integrating Tezos into their web3 communication platform. I think this is an important step in the right direction towards enabling on-chain communication across not only Tezos but different web3 communities.

Let’s talk about the integration and inspect some of the possibilities that it unlocks.

What is Mailchain? #

is a communication layer for web3 communities, enabling users to communicate to different crypto wallet addresses offchain. If there was ever an ‘AOL-like’ email service but for blockchain, this would be the closest.

Through the platform, users are able to send messages to different addresses in a decentralized and secure way. I’ve tried it out myself and the process is pretty straightforward to create an account and get started.

Simply head over to the Mailchain site and click on “Go to Inbox”. You’ll then be prompted to create an account. If you already have one, you can skip this step and just log in as usual. But if you don’t have one, make sure to download your recovery phrase and keep your credentials in a safe place.

After creating your account, you’ll then be given the option to register your crypto address. With the recent Tezos integration, you now have the option to add your Tezos wallet address and it will pick up the associated Tezos domains you have within the wallet.

In order to register your Tezos address, you have to follow a few simple steps. Simply press “Connect” and choose your Tezos wallet of choice. You’ll then be asked to confirm your selection so that it’ll sync your wallet and then you’ll be asked to sign a message verifying the address ownership. Additionally, you’ll have the option to customize your address or use any existing Tezos domains that you might have.

It’s that simple, head over to their site and get started. You’ll soon be emailing with your .tez address!

Enhancing Communication in Web3 Communities #

If we look at web3 and all the activities that have become popularized on-chain such as purchasing NFTs, voting, domains, participating in DeFi, and much more, there’s still a critical component missing. That component is facilitating communication in a secure and decentralized way.

If we take NFTs as an example, what are the typical steps an artist must undergo in order to get in touch with the supporters/buyers of their work?

There are quite a few.

• Dig up their address
• Figure out who owns the address
• Join Discord, scour Twitter or Telegram trying to figure out point 2
• Eventually get in touch with the owner
• Repeat this same process for hundreds of supporters

Clearly, this is a lengthy process just to be able to figure out who bought one of your works.

Luckily, with Mailchain we’re seeing this process simplified allowing communities, projects, and platforms to securely communicate with one another in a decentralized fashion. For NFT artists themselves, this integration now provides them the ability to do more of what they love, showcasing their work and engaging with their supporters. Mailchain had the following to say:

“We are excited to introduce a critical function to enable creators and communities in Tezos to connect and communicate in a Web3-native way. With Mailchain, Tezos developers can keep their users and communities up to date, and users can communicate securely and privately. We believe that this integration will play an important role in driving further adoption of the Tezos network and will unlock new capabilities.” — Tim Boeckmann, CEO of Mailchain

On the point of Tezos developers using Mailchain, there is an open-source Mailchain SDK that allows developers to integrate Mailchain within DApps. This is useful as the SDK removes any complex operations, handling name resolution, sign, verify, encrypt, and decrypt functions in just a few lines of code.

“Mailchain’s communication protocol enriches the overall ecosystem by delivering much-needed encrypted messaging capabilities, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about this integration. As we look forward to the Tezos Domains DAO launch, this partnership opens up innovative channels of interaction for our users. It will not only facilitate private and secure communications between .tez identities but also foster greater community cohesion and engagement, which is critical in driving the success of our decentralized network. This truly marks an important step in the continual growth and development of the Tezos community and we are excited for what the future holds.” — Andrew Paulicek, founder of Tezos Domains

Looking Forward #

As the Tezos ecosystem continues to evolve and grow so have the applications that help bring users and developers together. With communication being a prime component of our day to day activities, streamlining the ability to communicate by crypto addresses in web3 is critical. I’m excited to see how the Tezos community and those building on Tezos use Mailchain!