## Vitalik Reveals Mini-Apps Crisis: How Open Standards Will Shape the Future of Web3

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin delivered sharp insights at Pragma Taipei 2025, highlighting that the current mini-apps wave conceals a threat to the core values of Web3. While these lightweight applications lower the barrier to entry for users, they are subtly rebuilding the "walled garden" that blockchain once promised to dismantle.

Buterin, in a fireside chat with investor Kartik Talwar hosted by ETHGlobal, stated that many mini-apps rely on proprietary infrastructure to bind users and developers to a single platform. When applications depend on closed APIs and users cannot carry their own cryptographic keys, interoperability gradually erodes. Although this architecture offers a smooth user experience, it fundamentally contradicts the original intent of blockchain to give users control over their assets.

## The Double-Edged Sword of Mini-Apps: Convenience and Constraints

Platforms like Worldcoin and Farcaster are driving the mini-app ecosystem, which indeed attracts mainstream users. By eliminating cumbersome wallet setup and verification processes, newcomers can quickly experience Web3 applications. Supporters argue that simplified design is crucial for user adoption.

However, the hidden costs of this convenience are often overlooked. Buterin pointed out that when developers choose proprietary standards, applications struggle to operate outside their original environment. Users face significant friction when switching wallets or migrating to other platforms. This is not merely a technical issue but a structural choice—a form of economic locking-in strategy.

Companies, aiming to secure revenue streams, tend to pursue user lock-in. While open standards align with the spirit of Web3, they are difficult to directly monetize. Shared infrastructure requires long-term maintenance investments but lacks clear profit incentives. This is the fundamental reason many builders opt for closed solutions.

## Incentive Mechanisms and Ecosystem Balance

Buterin calls for a reevaluation of the entire ecosystem’s incentive structure. He believes standards should reward openness and user protection rather than platform monopolies. Only by establishing such a framework can the Web3 ecosystem retain true flexibility as it scales.

## The Fundamental Challenges Facing Ethereum’s Roadmap

The discussion extended to Ethereum’s overall development trajectory. Buterin emphasized that the aging of developer tools continues to trouble new developers. Wallet recovery solutions lack shared standards across different applications, causing ongoing confusion for users.

The Ethereum Foundation has adjusted its strategy, focusing on protocol-level development rather than end-user products, to encourage infrastructure innovation. Regarding scalability, Buterin compared the economic differences between native rollups and based rollups, and discussed the blob price dynamics after the Dencun upgrade. On governance, he highlighted reversible decisions as a safer tool for upgrades.

## The Core Contradiction of Web3

Buterin describes decentralization as a slow process—the ecosystem’s growth inherently seeks a balance between innovation and security. Mini-apps exemplify this tension: the conflict between convenience and autonomy.

As the mini-app ecosystem continues to expand, every architectural decision made by developers will impact users’ future freedom. Choosing open standards or platform lock-in is not just a technical issue but a reaffirmation of Web3’s vision.