Interoperability Approaches
Existing interoperability systems can be differentiated by determining who assumes the responsibility of mirroring information across blockchains.
The following pverview categorizes existing interoperability systems by the chosen approach for verifying crosschain data:
Approach | Mechanism | Examples | Trust Minimized | Generalized | Cheap/fast, easy to build, & extend |
Natively verified | Chain's own validator set verifies xchain data. Typically done by running a light client of origin chain inside of the destination chain's VM | IBC, Near Rainbowbridge, BTC Relay, rollup entry/exit | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Externally verified | 3rd party validator set verifies data across chains. AKA PoS/MPC systems | Thorchain, Anyswap, Synapse, Hyphen, etc. | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Locally verified | N-party system is reduced to 1:1 interaction, very easy to keep trust-minimized | Connext, Hop, simple atomic swaps | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
🔗Connext vs. PoS/MPC
