In response to the growing demand for cross-chain solutions, Across has been diligently working on a groundbreaking product upgrade called the Universal Bridge Adapter (UBA). The UBA is designed to enable Across to connect to any EVM bridge, removing previous limitations and expanding our reach for value transfers across blockchains.
By harnessing Succinct Labs’ ZK messaging technology through their product, Telepathy, Across can trustlessly send unidirectional messages from Mainnet to any EVM chain, replacing the previously required “canonical” messaging system. This upgrade will allow us to provide you with more routes and connect with new communities — needless to say, we’re excited!
Our community has been asking some really great questions surrounding this launch, so this blog is here to provide some more clarity.
What is the Universal Bridge Adapter?
Imagine the Universal Bridge Adapter (UBA) as a versatile, multi-purpose adapter that allows you to connect different electronic devices with various types of plugs to a single power source. In the world of blockchains, the UBA acts similarly by enabling secure and efficient connections between multiple blockchains that may have different features and requirements.
The UBA includes the following key components:
Connectivity: The adapter can connect to different blockchains, even those that don’t have their own native bridges, making it possible for users to transfer assets between them.
Security: The UBA ensures that transactions between blockchains are safe and trustworthy, without having to reveal any sensitive information. It uses advanced security techniques, like zero-knowledge proofs and optimistic verification, to protect users and their assets.
Efficiency: By streamlining the transaction process and using cutting-edge technology, the UBA makes cross-chain transactions faster and more efficient for users.
Dynamic pricing: The adapter offers real-time pricing for transactions, which adjusts based on the current state of the connected blockchains. This pricing mechanism allows Across to connect to EVM chains that don’t have a native bridge, ensuring users get the lowest possible fees for their transactions.
Support for multiple tokens: The UBA adds more flexibility to the protocol and makes it easy to increase the number of supported tokens, allowing users to move a variety of digital assets between different blockchains, expanding the range of options and opportunities for users.
In essence, the Universal Bridge Adapter is a sophisticated and comprehensive interoperability solution that addresses the challenges of cross-chain communication by offering secure, trust-minimized, and efficient transactions among diverse blockchain networks.
The Universal Bridging Adapter is part of our list of upcoming innovations to the Across product and governance infrastructures.
How Can I Benefit from the UBA Upgrade?
The UBA will enhance the overall cross-chain experience and you’ll be able to notice it in the following ways:
More Routes, More Tokens, More Opportunities: With the UBA’s ability to connect to any EVM bridge, you will have access to a wider range of chains for transactions. Soon we’ll be deploying to previously unreachable chains such as Avalanche & BNB Chain and other chains without a canonical bridge, in addition to newer L2s like zkSync and Base. We’ll also be adding more token support, starting with wstETH and MATIC. What opportunities will you find next?
Better Transfer Token Prices: The UBA helps to optimize your bridge transfers through dynamic pricing mechanisms that result in finding you the most competitive transfer fees. Get the most bang for your cross-chain buck!
A Smoother, Faster, Safer Bridging Experience: Faster quotes, guaranteed pricing, and a reduced likelihood of transaction reversions? By utilizing both optimistic and ZK security, the UBA provides a more robust security solution than traditional bridges. Sounds like a smoother and more user-friendly platform is coming to Across and we can’t wait for you to try this upgrade.
In summary, the average cross-chain bridge user will benefit from the Universal Bridge Adapter upgrade through increased connectivity, improved security, enhanced efficiency, dynamic pricing, broader token support, and an overall superior user experience. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Game-changing!
How Does Across Remain Secure with the UBA Upgrade?
To answer that question, imagine a bustling international airport, where the UBA (Universal Bridge Adapter) serves as both air traffic control and the customs department. The airport (Across) hosts flights (transactions) from various airlines (blockchains) with different protocols and systems.To maintain smooth operations and security, the air traffic control (UBA) sends out ZK messages, similar to flight plans, from the central control tower (hub) to each individual airline’s gate (spokes). These messages coordinate the movement of flights, helping airlines to rebalance their schedules and ensuring that all passengers (relayer repayments) reach their destinations safely and efficiently.For airlines with well-established connections to other airports (chains with canonical bridges), the customs department (UBA) offers a flexible approach to managing arrivals and departures. Instead of relying solely on the traditional customs process (native rebalancing), they offer an alternative method by providing pricing incentives for airlines to adjust their flight schedules (rebalancing pools via pricing incentives). This flexibility allows the airport (Across) to benefit from both methods, ensuring optimal efficiency and smooth operations.In the event of suspicious activity, such as an airline trying to bypass regulations, the customs department (UMA / any honest disputer) acts as the enforcer, stepping in to investigate and resolve any issues, ensuring the airport remains secure and all airlines adhere to the rules.This metaphor illustrates how the UBA contract upgrades work together to facilitate secure cross-chain transactions within the Across ecosystem. The combination of ZK messages, flexible rebalancing options, and vigilant enforcement helps ensure that the airport (Across) maintains a safe and efficient environment for all its passengers (users) and airlines (blockchains).
From a more technical perspective, with this contract upgrade Across’ security is not compromised because, the combination of the advanced security mechanisms of zero-knowledge proofs (zkSNARKs) and optimistic verification maintains a trustless and secure cross-chain communication design.zkSNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge) enable a party to prove that they possess knowledge of a particular piece of information or have performed a specific computation without revealing the details of that information or computation. In the context of the UBA, zkSNARKs are used to generate and verify proofs of transaction validity and state changes across different blockchains, without disclosing sensitive transaction data. To put it simply, the UBA uses ZK messaging to allow the Across Hub (on mainnet) to communicate with Across Spokes on other blockchains.Optimistic verification, on the other hand, relies on the assumption that most participants will act honestly. Transactions are considered valid by default, and only in the case of a dispute does the system initiate a verification process to determine the transaction’s legitimacy. This approach streamlines cross-chain transactions while preserving a high level of security.By incorporating both zkSNARKs and optimistic verification, the UBA establishes a secure environment for cross-chain transactions, providing users with a trustless, transparent, and efficient experience.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop them in the general channel of our Discord here. For specific launch details, we’d like to refer you to our Twitter, where we will drop more specific plans of this upgrade soon.The Universal Bridge Adapter is poised to revolutionize cross-chain transactions, eliminating the roadblocks previously faced by the limited number of supported chains. With the UBA, the future of cross-chain interoperability is brighter than ever, and Across is at the forefront of this exciting development.
Across Protocol is an intents-based interoperability protocol, capable of filling and settling cross-chain intents. It is made up of the Across Bridge, a powerfully efficient cross-chain transfer tool for end users, Across+, a chain abstraction tool that utilizes cross-chain bridge hooks to fulfill user intents and Across Settlement, a settlement layer for all cross-chain intent order flow. As the multichain economy continues to evolve, intents-based settlement is the key to solving interoperability and Across is at the core of its execution.
