Brace To: A New Way To Save Links

I am currently on a mission to highlight all the growth and development happening on the Stacks blockchain. So many Dapps are being created utilizing Stacks that it is hard to keep up with. The newest Dapp that I would like to mention is called Brace.to.

Brace.to is a Dapp that allows you to save links, cool YouTube videos, or whatever else you are interested in a decentralized and self-custodial way. With services such as Pocket, Saved.io, and Pinterest, you have to depend on a centralized service to keep their servers going so you can access your links. What happens if one of these entities decides to shut down tomorrow? All those links that you stored on their servers disappear with them.

With Brace.to you can save your links using a wallet installed on your desktop or laptop. As stated in previous articles, Leather Wallet (formerly Hiro Wallet) and Xverse Wallet are your go-to for interacting with Stacks Dapps. I’ll walk you through it so you can see what it looks like when you interact with Brace.to.

Home Screen

Here is what it looks like when you head over to Brace.to. It will ask you to sign into your wallet either using your private key or your password for your Leather wallet.

Once logged in, you will see a blank screen that says, “Get started saving links.” If you reached this page, you are in. As you can see, it’s very minimalistic and easy to understand. I like Dapps that don’t try to wow you with a lot of fluff and BS. Keep it simple and easy to use, and user growth will skyrocket. Who wants to deal with complicated Dapps? Not me.

So, once you are logged into your wallet, you are ready to start saving links. One important sidenote I forgot to mention is that you may want to download the Brace.to extension from the Chrome store. It makes saving links as you browse the internet super easy and convenient.

So, when you are ready to save an article that you want to read later, click the Brace.to extension at the top of your screen, and it will give you the option to use the current tab to save the link, open a new tab to keep the link, or open a new window to save a link. Here is what it will look like when you save a link.

Here is what it looks like with multiple links saved:

As you can see, it's super clean and easy to understand. But why should you use it? Why not save using a centralized service like Pocket or save the bookmark locally on your computer?

Security

This is the most important reason you should consider using Brace.to versus a centralized service or even local bookmarks on your computer. You don’t know what propriety security software these third parties use to keep your data safe. They could easily be targeted by hackers and take all of your information. When hacking a service like that, they will probably be able to obtain information about you when you opened your account, such as name, email, phone number, and credit card information if you signed up for a premium service.

You don’t realize how much info you had over to these companies until you get hacked and you get emails stating that your private information has been compromised. With Brace.to you get the peace of mind of knowing that your data is secured by the Stacks and, ultimately, Bitcoin.

Your private key encrypts all the stored data, and as long as you have your private key, that information stays secure. Centralized platforms can’t promise you this level of security.

Why not just save links to your computer? It is safe to assume that your home computer is compromised in some way the moment you turn it on. It has been estimated that someone is attacked online by a hacker every 32 seconds.

The most popular attack vector is email. Ninety-four percent of malware was delivered via email in 2019 alone. We all have email and probably clicked on an email that contained some form of malware.

It is impossible to keep your computer 100 percent secure 100 percent of the time. So, if you want to keep what you are reading from prying eyes, it is a good idea to use Brace.to to keep your data private.

Also, if you share a computer with other people Brace.to is an excellent way to reduce link clutter on your desktop; you can keep all of your links in one spot that only you have access to.

Decentralized

I think this feature is the most compelling of them all. I love the fact that you can access this information in a decentralized, self-custodial way. Say you are on the road or don’t have access to your desktop computer; you can use your private key and BAM, you can access all your saved data just like that. This tech can’t be stopped and is the way of the future.

The days of centralized control of data are over! Embrace the future being built by Stacks and secured by Bitcoin. This is the future! I hope you enjoy using Brace.to as much as I do!

I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read my blog! Have a great day!

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