How to bridge ETH to Avalanche (AVAX)

How to bridge Ethereum to AVAX

The best way to bridge ETH to Avalanche (AVAX) on your MetaMask account is through the official Avalanche Core Bridge. In order to convert ETH to AVAX on Metamask, you will need to follow these easy steps:

1. Create your Metamask account and fund it with ETH.
2. Visit the Avalanche Bridge and select 'Connect Metamask Wallet'.
3. Enter the amount of Ethereum you want to bridge to AVAX.
4. Select 'Transfer' and wait for the on-chain to transaction to finalise.

After 5-10 minutes, your AVAX should arrive in your Metamask account. To check, simply click the fox button on your Chrome browser to check your wallet. If you have bridged over $75 of ETH to AVAX, you will receive a small airdrop of AVAX tokens to help pay gas.

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ETH to Avalanche AVAX Bridge Fees

When you are bridging your ETH to AVAX from the Ethereum Chain to the Avalanche C-Chain, you will need to consider the following costs.

1. Transaction fee to deposit ETH onto your Metamask Wallet
2. Transaction fee to swap ETH to WETH to send across the AVAX Bridge
3. Transfer of WETH to Avalanche C Chain native WETH.e

All three transactions will cost you up to $100 USD to move your funds over to the AVAX network. However, once your funds have arrived the cost to move around the Avalanche C-Chain network is around 1 cent per transaction.

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What is a Crypto Bridge?

A crypto bridge is a piece of specialized software that enables two separate blockchains to communicate and transfer assets between each other. This allows users to take advantage of the unique features and capabilities of a variety of Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchains, giving them access to a wider range of digital assets, DeFi apllications and enabling them to use and interact with them in new ways.

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How to Swap AVAX to ETH

Once you have bridged your funds onto the AVAX c chain, you may want to trade your AVAX for ETH, or the chain native WETH.e. If you want to buy ETH on the Avalanche chain, you can do so by using a trusted decentralized exchange like Trader Joe.

Trader Joe is the largest decentralized exchange on the Avalanche network and charges a 0.2% fee per trade. The image below is an example of me swapping AVAX for ETH on the Avalanche chain.

What is WETH.e on AVAX?

WETH.e is wrapped Ethereum on the Avalanche C Chain network. When you bridge your ETH to AVAX, it stores it in a wallet and provides Avalanche users with a wrapped token that is transferrable on the Ethereum blockchain.

1 WETH.e represents a share in 1 Ethereum token, so you do not lose any value.

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Final Thoughts

Using the official Avalanche Bridge is an easy way to swap ETH for AVAX and vice versa. With just a few clicks, you can bridge your funds from Ethereum to the Avalanche network and begin taking advantage of its unique features, applications and benefits. Remember to pay attention to fees when you are bridging your funds, as these costs can add up quickly.