Ready uses a smart contract wallet built on Base.
A traditional crypto wallet is usually controlled directly by a private key. A smart contract wallet works differently: the account itself is a program on the blockchain.
This allows the account to follow more flexible rules for how transactions are approved and how the wallet works. Ready uses Safe smart contract accounts together with Account Abstraction to provide this functionality.
What is a smart contract?
A smart contract is a program that runs on a blockchain.
It contains rules that determine what happens when someone interacts with it. When the required conditions are met, the blockchain executes those rules automatically.
A simple way to think about it is like a vending machine:
- You make a request, similar to choosing a drink and inserting payment.
- The machine checks whether the requirements are met.
- If they are, it automatically carries out the action.
Smart contracts work in a similar way, except their rules are executed and recorded on the blockchain.
Their activity can be verified onchain, and they do not depend on a person at Ready manually approving each transaction.
How is a smart contract wallet different from a traditional wallet?
A traditional wallet, also known as an externally owned account (EOA), is generally controlled by a private key. Whoever can use that key can authorize transactions from the account.
A smart contract wallet can use programmable rules instead.
This makes it possible to build more flexible account security and transaction features without relying entirely on the traditional single-private-key model.
For Ready, much of this technology works in the background. You can use your account without needing to interact directly with smart contracts or understand how they work.
What does Safe have to do with Ready?
Ready accounts use Safe, an established smart contract account infrastructure.
Safe provides the underlying smart contracts that allow Ready accounts to operate on Base. Ready then builds the user experience around this infrastructure, so you can use your account through the Ready app without having to manage the smart contracts yourself.
Because the account is self-custodial, you remain in control of the funds held in your Ready account.