Bridge

What is a Bridge?

A blockchain bridge lets you transfer tokens and data between two different blockchain networks, connecting isolated ecosystems so they can interact.

How Bridges Work

1. Lock-and-Mint: Assets are locked on the source chain and a wrapped version is minted on the destination chain.
2. Burn-and-Release: Wrapped assets are burned and originals are unlocked when moving back.
3. Liquidity Pools: Some bridges swap native assets directly using pools on both chains.
4. Relayers or validators confirm transfers between chains.
5. Bridges can be trusted (centralized) or trustless (decentralized).

Why Bridges Matter

They enable interoperability - letting users move assets where they're most useful, like sending ETH to a Layer 2 for lower fees - and prevent liquidity from being siloed across networks.

Key Features

• Cross-chain asset and data transfers
• Creates wrapped tokens (e.g., wETH)
• Trusted or trustless mechanisms
• Subject to unique security risks (bridge hacks)
• Varies in speed and cost

Examples

• Polygon PoS Bridge: Moving assets between Ethereum and Polygon.
• Across and Stargate: Fast, capital-efficient cross-chain swaps.
• Wormhole: Connects Solana, Ethereum, Sui and more.