What technical fields does blockchain cross-chain involve? Introduction to the mainstream cross-chain technology of blockchain

Since blockchains mainly exist in silos, they cannot communicate with each other. This means that the strength of one chain cannot benefit other chains, or that the limitations of a particular blockchain cannot be compensated by exploiting the characteristics of another chain. These silos fragment the potential and value of blockchain as an industry, further eroding user experience and hindering industry development. This is where cross-chain technology comes in. It is a solution to improve inter-blockchain communication. Cross-chain architecture promotes interoperability. Many investors also want to know more about the technical fields involved in this cross-chain blockchain? Let me introduce it to you below.

What technicalareas does blockchain cross-chain involve? The current mainstream cross-chain technologies include:

1, Notarization Technology: Ripple Interledger Protocol In 2012, Ripple Labs proposed the Interledger protocol, aiming to connect different ledgers and achieve collaboration between them. The Interledger protocol enables two different accounting systems to transfer currency to each other through a third-party "connector" or "validator."

2. SidechainTechnology: BTCRelay sidechain connects various chains, while other blockchains can exist independently. BTCRelay was born and grew up with the support of the Ethereum Foundation and is an early side chain technology . BTCRelay connects the Ethereum network with the Bitcoin network by using Ethereum's smart contracts, allowing users to verify Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum.

3. RelayTechnology: Polkadot Polkadot uses relay-chain technology to transfer the token on the original chain to the original chain address similar to multi-signature control and temporarily lock it. The transaction results on the relay chain will be voted by these signers to determine whether they are valid. Polkadot currently relies on the second-generation blockchain platform Ethereum to interconnect it with private chains.

4. Hash lockingTechnology: Lightingnetwork The key technology of Lightning Network is HTLC hash locking. The basic principle is as follows: Alice and Bob can reach an agreement: the agreement will lock Alice’s 0.1BTC at time T. Before, if Bob can present an appropriate R (called a secret) to Alice so that the hash value of R is equal to the pre-agreed value H(R), Bob can obtain the 0.1 BTC; if Bob still has not received the 0.1 BTC until time T passes. If a correct R can be provided, the 0.1BTC will be automatically unfrozen and returned to Alice. Although hash locking can realize the exchange of cross-chain assets, it cannot realize the transfer of cross-chain assets, let alone realize cross-chain contracts, so its application scenarios are relatively limited.

5. Distributed private key controltechnology: FUSION encrypted assets are mapped to the FUSION public chain through distributed private key generation and control technology. The operations of implementing and releasing distributed control rights management are called: locking and unlocking. Locking is the process of achieving control and asset mapping of digital assets. Unlocking is the reverse operation of locking, returning control of the digital asset to the owner.

6 "notary mechanism + side chain" hybrid technology : EtherUniverse EtherUniverse is the world's first decentralized, high-performance cross-chain platform, the world's first "notary mechanism + side chain" hybrid technology , side Chain technology first realizes efficient communication, and the notary mechanism realizes rapid value exchange, which is an innovative solution.

How does cross-chain technology work?

There is no single way on how to use cross-chain technology. Different networks may take different approaches to blockchain interoperability to facilitate transactions across multiple chains without involving third parties or centralized solutions. Here are some methods for cross-chain communication.

· Atomic Swaps Atomic swaps are not a true form of cross-chain communication because the two chains do not actually communicate with each other. But the mechanism allows users to directly coordinate cross-chain transactions in peer-to-peer transactions, thereby facilitating direct trading of one cryptocurrency with another.

· Stateless SPV which allows smart contracts advanced enough to verify a subset of the proof of work history. Stateless SPVs can accommodate a variety of use cases because they are relatively inexpensive.

· Relays allow smart contracts on a specific chain to verify events occurring in other chains. Relay can verify the entire history of the chain and specific headers on demand. The relaying approach trades off the security of relaying and the cost of running it. However, relays are often very expensive to operate.

· Merged Consensus This method uses relay chains to allow bidirectional interoperability between chains. In order to perform merged consensus, it needs to be built into the chain from scratch. Projects like ETH2.0 and Cosmos use merged consensus.

· Federation A select group of trusted parties can leverage federation to confirm events on a chain. Federation is powerful, but it requires trusting a third party. This is its main limitation as it breaks every essence of blockchain decentralization.

I hope investors can understand through this article what technicalfields are involved in blockchain cross-chain. Despite the strong need for interoperability, cross-chain systems or solutions face the challenge of “trust differences”. The trust system in every blockchain ledger is not equal. Some are supported by 1000 miners, while some are supported by 5 miners. Moving data from a weaker trusted ledger to a more powerful one can leave the latter vulnerable to third-party manipulation and various other discrepancies. Another potential technicalchallenge is the “transaction rate bottleneck,” which occurs when a given chain receives transactions from multiple chains, blocking its throughput capabilities, thereby impacting large-scale blockchain interoperability.

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