How to Connect MetaMask to Base

Base is Coinbase’s Ethereum L2, built on the OP Stack. To use Base in MetaMask, you need to add it as a custom network with an RPC URL. This guide walks through the setup using a free SwiftNodes RPC endpoint — takes under two minutes.

Step 1 — Get a free SwiftNodes API key

Visit swiftnodes.io and sign up with either a crypto wallet (MetaMask, WalletConnect) or an email address. The free tier allows 2 HTTP requests/sec and 1 WebSocket message/sec, which is plenty for personal MetaMask use. No credit card or KYC required.

Once signed in, copy the API key from your dashboard. It looks like a long hex string — keep it private, treat it like a password.

Step 2 — Open the MetaMask network menu

In MetaMask, click the network dropdown at the top of the window (it usually shows “Ethereum Mainnet” by default). Click “Add network”. On the screen that opens, click “Add a network manually” at the bottom.

Step 3 — Fill in the Base network details

Paste the following values:

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key from your SwiftNodes dashboard.

Step 4 — Save and switch to Base

Click Save. MetaMask will validate the RPC connection (you should see a green check or a balance update). Then select Basefrom the network dropdown. That’s it — MetaMask is now connected to Base through your SwiftNodes endpoint.

Optional: add the WebSocket endpoint

MetaMask doesn’t use WebSocket directly, but if you’re building a dApp that subscribes to events or new blocks on Base, use the WebSocket endpoint:

Why not the default Base RPC?

The public RPC at https://mainnet.base.orgworks for casual use but is heavily rate-limited and shared by every user without an API key. For any real usage — transactions, dApp interactions, contract reads in a loop — you’ll get faster, more reliable responses from a dedicated provider.

SwiftNodes load-balances across multiple upstream Base nodes with automatic failover, so a single upstream outage doesn’t take you down.

Frequently asked questions