Split a dApp in two and it gets clearer. The front end, the page you click around in, is a normal web app hosted much like any other site. The back end is a set of smart contracts living on a network such as Ethereum, and those contracts hold the rules and the balances. Replace the front end with a different one and the contracts underneath carry on exactly as before.
Using a dApp therefore works differently from using a normal service. You do not create an account with an email and password; you connect a wallet, and that wallet signs each action. There is no support desk to reverse a transaction, and the contract will do precisely what it was written to do, including when what it was written to do is harmful. Common examples include <a href="/glossary/decentralized-exchange/">decentralised exchanges</a>, lending markets, on-chain games and NFT marketplaces.
Decentralised is a spectrum, not a badge. Plenty of dApps depend on an admin key that can pause or upgrade the contracts, on a single hosted interface, or on an off-chain <a href="/glossary/oracle/">oracle</a> feed. Each of those is a point of control and a point of failure. Before connecting a wallet holding real funds, check whether the contracts have been audited, who holds upgrade rights, and whether the approval you are signing grants more spending permission than the task needs. Our <a href="/toolkit/how-to-spot-crypto-scams/">guide to spotting crypto scams</a> covers the cloned front end trick in detail.
DeFi Basics and Risks
Key takeaways
- A dApp's front end is ordinary web software; only the contracts underneath it actually live on the blockchain.
- Connecting a wallet is not logging in, because every action becomes a signed transaction that cannot be undone.
- Admin keys, upgradeable contracts and a single hosted interface all reduce how decentralised a dApp really is.
dApp — frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to use a dApp?
Usually not in the traditional sense. Instead of registering with an email and password, you connect a crypto wallet and the application reads your address. That means there is nothing to reset if something goes wrong and no operator who can restore access for you. Your wallet backup is the only account recovery there is, which is why the recovery phrase matters so much.
Are dApps safer than normal apps?
They are different rather than automatically safer. Open code means anyone can audit it, and no single company can freeze your balance. But bugs are permanent, transactions are irreversible, and a convincing copy of a dApp's website is one of the most common ways people lose funds. Verify the address you are visiting before you sign anything.
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