polkadot-js
The Polkadot-JS Apps is a flexible UI for interacting with a Polkadot or Substrate based node. Go to documentation.
This is pre-built user-facing application, allowing access to all features available on Substrate chains.
To connect the Polkadot-JS Apps to your local node, you must go into Settings and change the
"endpoint to connect to" to Local Node (127.0.0.1:9944).
If you are connected to the Polkadot-JS Apps over a secure HTTPS connection, you will need to use a browser which also supports bridging to an insecure WebSocket endpoint. For example, Google Chrome supports this, but Mozilla Firefox does not.
Polkadot-JS extension
The Polkadot-JS Extension is a simple proof-of-concept for managing accounts in a browser extension and allowing the signing of extrinsics using these accounts. It also provides a simple interface for interacting with extension-compliant dApps.
Different ways to use the extension:
