Migrating GFA Gems to Web3: A Technical Guide
By GFAVIP Team | October 11, 2025
The Global From Asia (GFA) ecosystem is evolving from a Web2 centralized platform to a Web3-enabled community, bringing decentralized features to our 10,000+ members. A key part of this transition is converting our centralized GFA Gems (points stored in our database) into an ERC-20 token on the Base blockchain, while allowing users to link crypto wallets (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Cosmos, and more) to their existing accounts. This guide outlines the technical steps for developers to make this migration seamless and blockchain-agnostic.
Why Go Web3?
Our goal is to empower users with true ownership of their assets while maintaining the simplicity of our existing wallet.gfavip.com SSO system. By tokenizing GFA Gems on Base (an Ethereum Layer-2 for low-cost transactions), we enable trading, DeFi integration, and future cross-chain functionality. Linking wallets ensures users control their funds, aligning with Web3’s non-custodial ethos. Our blockchain-agnostic approach supports Ethereum, Bitcoin, Cosmos, and beyond, future-proofing the ecosystem.
Step 1: Linking Web3 Wallets to GFAVIP Accounts
Our Web2 system uses a centralized database for user data (user_id, email, username, etc.). To bridge to Web3, we’ll add a wallet-linking feature in wallet.gfavip.com, allowing users to associate crypto wallets with their accounts without disrupting the existing SSO flow.
Frontend: Wallet Connection
Add a “Link Wallet” page under /settings/wallets. Use Web3Auth or WalletConnect for multi-chain support, enabling connections to Ethereum (e.g., MetaMask), Bitcoin (e.g., Ledger), and Cosmos (e.g., Keplr).
// components/LinkWallet.js
import { useState } from 'react';
import { Web3Auth } from '@web3auth/modal';
import { ethers } from 'ethers';
const LinkWallet = () => {
const [address, setAddress] = useState(null);
const connectWallet = async () => {
const web3auth = new Web3Auth({ clientId: 'your-web3auth-client-id', chainConfig: { chainNamespace: 'eip155' } });
await web3auth.initModal();
const provider = await web3auth.connect();
const ethersProvider = new ethers.BrowserProvider(provider);
const signer = await ethersProvider.getSigner();
const userAddress = await signer.getAddress();
const message = `Link wallet to GFAVIP account ${userId} at ${Date.now()}`;
const signature = await signer.signMessage(message);
setAddress(userAddress);
// Send to backend
await fetch('https://wallet.gfavip.com/api/user/link-wallet', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${localStorage.getItem('gfavip_token')}`, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({ chain: 'ethereum', address: userAddress, signature, message })
});
};
return Link Ethereum Wallet;
};
Tip: Web3Auth supports 50+ chains, making it ideal for Ethereum, Bitcoin (via adapters), and Cosmos. Users sign a message to prove ownership, which is verified server-side.
Backend: Store and Verify Wallets
Update your database schema to include a linked_wallets table or field:
// Example schema (SQL)
CREATE TABLE linked_wallets (
user_id VARCHAR(36) NOT NULL,
chain VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL, -- e.g., 'ethereum', 'bitcoin', 'cosmos'
address VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
verified BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
linked_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
PRIMARY KEY (user_id, chain, address)
);
Create an API endpoint to handle wallet linking:
// routes/user.js (Node/Express example)
const ethers = require('ethers');
app.post('/api/user/link-wallet', async (req, res) => {
const { chain, address, signature, message } = req.body;
const authToken = req.headers.authorization?.split(' ')[1];
// Validate SSO token (use existing GFAVIP logic)
if (!validateToken(authToken)) return res.status(401).send('Unauthorized');
// Verify signature (Ethereum example)
if (chain === 'ethereum') {
const recoveredAddress = ethers.verifyMessage(message, signature);
if (recoveredAddress.toLowerCase() !== address.toLowerCase()) {
return res.status(400).send('Invalid signature');
}
}
// Store in DB
await db.query('INSERT INTO linked_wallets (user_id, chain, address, verified) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)',
[req.user.id, chain, address, true]);
res.send({ success: true });
});
Extend /api/user to return linked wallets:
// GET /api/user response
{
"id": "95d73a18-5da0-42a9-be99-c8e5977a984e",
"email": "user@example.com",
"username": "michgfa",
"tier": "paid",
"credits": 150,
"linked_wallets": [
{ "chain": "ethereum", "address": "0xabc...", "verified": true, "linked_at": "2025-10-11T00:00:00Z" }
]
}
Step 2: Migrating GFA Gems to ERC-20 Tokens on Base
GFA Gems, currently points in our database, will become an ERC-20 token on Base, Ethereum’s low-cost Layer-2. This enables trading, DeFi, and future cross-chain use while maintaining Web2 compatibility during transition.
Token Contract Creation
Use OpenZeppelin’s ERC-20 template for a secure, mintable token. Deploy on Base testnet first (via Remix IDE or Hardhat).
// contracts/GFAGems.sol
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;
import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/ERC20.sol";
import "@openzeppelin/contracts/access/Ownable.sol";
contract GFAGems is ERC20, Ownable {
constructor() ERC20("GFA Gems", "GFAG") Ownable(msg.sender) {}
function mint(address to, uint256 amount) public onlyOwner {
_mint(to, amount);
}
}
Deploy using Remix: Connect MetaMask to Base testnet, compile, and deploy (costs ~$0.01). Save the contract address (e.g., 0x123...).
Snapshot and Minting
Snapshot current GFA Gems balances from your database. Only mint for users with linked Ethereum wallets.
- Query balances:
SELECT user_id, gems FROM user_points; - Filter linked wallets:
SELECT user_id, address FROM linked_wallets WHERE chain = 'ethereum'; - Batch mint using a Node script:
// scripts/mintGems.js
const ethers = require('ethers');
const GFAGemsABI = [ /* ABI from compilation */ ];
const contractAddress = '0x123...';
async function mintTokens() {
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider('https://base-mainnet.infura.io/v3/your-infura-key');
const wallet = new ethers.Wallet('your-private-key', provider);
const contract = new ethers.Contract(contractAddress, GFAGemsABI, wallet);
const snapshot = await db.query('SELECT u.user_id, u.gems, w.address FROM user_points u JOIN linked_wallets w ON u.user_id = w.user_id WHERE w.chain = "ethereum"');
for (const { address, gems } of snapshot) {
await contract.mint(address, ethers.parseUnits(gems.toString(), 18));
console.log(`Minted ${gems} GFAG to ${address}`);
}
}
mintTokens();
Security Note: Use a multisig wallet (e.g., Gnosis Safe) for minting to prevent single-point failures. Audit the contract with tools like Certik.
Hybrid System
During transition, maintain both DB points and on-chain tokens:
- Display balances: Update wallet.gfavip.com to show DB points and GFAG token balance (query via
ethers.Contract). - Claim feature: For users without linked wallets, add a “Claim Tokens” button that prompts wallet linking and triggers minting.
- Sync: Use an oracle or cron job to mirror DB points to on-chain for unclaimed users.
Step 3: Going Blockchain-Agnostic
To support Ethereum, Bitcoin, Cosmos, and more, we use abstraction layers:
- Wallet Linking: Web3Auth/WalletConnect supports 50+ chains, allowing users to link any wallet type.
- Cross-Chain Tokens: Deploy GFAG on Base first, then bridge to Cosmos (via IBC) or Bitcoin (via Stacks/Ordinals) using Axelar or Wormhole.
- Future-Proofing: Consider a Cosmos SDK app-chain for custom logic, interoperable with Ethereum/Bitcoin via IBC bridges.
Example: For Cosmos, use @cosmjs/stargate to link Keplr wallets and verify signatures similarly to Ethereum.
Next Steps
Start by implementing wallet linking in wallet.gfavip.com, then deploy the GFAG token on Base. Test on Base testnet to keep costs low (~$0.01/tx). Communicate clearly to users about token risks (e.g., volatility) and benefits (e.g., trading on Uniswap). For cross-chain expansion, prioritize Ethereum/Base, then add Bitcoin and Cosmos support incrementally.