If you’re reading this, you’re probably pretty deep into crypto already, so I’ll spare you the introduction and get right to it. You probably know that if the crypto economy is going to continue growing, demand needs to increase substantially. And when that demand does arrive, the scalability problems we’ve experienced in recent years will be back on everyone’s minds again.
Completing the Modular Stack
Over the last few years, several scalability solutions have gone from idea to implementation. In particular, the modular blockchain thesis is gaining significant traction as a viable solution that is uncompromising on the decentralized and permissionless nature of these systems. In the modular blockchain world, the blockchain services of execution, settlement, consensus and data availability are separated.
In this modular world we’ll likely be seeing dozens, maybe hundreds or thousand more chains as the operating burden becomes lighter. We’re already seeing frameworks like Celestia’s Rollkit, Optimism’s OP Stack, and services like Caldera and Eclipse that make it easy to operate your own rollup. So all of this will make it a breeze to create and operate your own chain, and we’re gonna see a rapidly expanding number of chains.
But how will it work in practice? The consequence of all these new modular blockchains is that the user experience and liquidity become fragmented. The modular blockchain vision is clearly missing something.
To date, discourse around modular blockchains has danced around how we’re going to connect all these chains. But it’s clear now that it’s the missing piece. At Hyperlane we believe that Permissionless Interoperability is the final piece in the puzzle of modular blockchains.
Why Permissionless Interoperability
Historically, interoperability has been permissioned. And this made sense for two reasons. First, most interoperability protocols today are built with a one-size-fits-all security model, such that every supported chain is immediately opted-in to a connection with any newly added chain. Under this model, the attack surface increases as more chains are added. You can see why there are some potential security issues there that make permissioned operation not just appealing, but prudent. Second, as of now there just aren’t that many chains worth connecting, or maintaining connections to. I don’t view this as a controversial statement.
So the modular future is our best path forward. But if the modular future is one where you’ll deploy your own chain with a few clicks, shouldn’t one of those clicks bring interoperability to your chain as well?
I like to think of creating a new chain as similar to creating a new habitable planet. What good is a habitable new planet if you can’t reach it? How do you expect to build a vibrant economy if you can’t connect your empty planet with established planets? You might convince a few brave souls to join you on the journey to this new planet, but without a path back you’ll be risking everything.
With permissioned interoperability, you as the chain creator/planet originator need to lobby an interoperability protocol to support you. You’re at the mercy of the interoperability provider. Stuck with limited growth while you wait, or worse, dead on arrival if they say no.
The advent of Permissionless Interoperability means you no longer have to depend on the good graces of interoperability protocols to support your chain. You can now take matters into your own hands and bring interoperability to your chain anytime without depending on anyone. With Hyperlane’s Permissionless Interoperability, you have the tools to ensure viable trade routes between your planet and any others. You choose which planets you want to connect with, and how you are connected. You can leverage other infrastructure operators for security and relaying, or you could do it on your own!
How does it work? Hyperlane’s Modular Security stack is what makes it all possible.
A modular security stack for a modular blockchain world
Earlier we covered how the one-size-fits-all security architectures is a major downside of most permissioned interoperability protocols. What’s different about Hyperlane? Hyperlane separates the product of interchain messaging from the interchain security.
Instead of a monolithic security model that all Hyperlane integrators are opted into, Hyperlane features a menu of security modules called Interchain Security Module’s (ISMs). ISMs can come in multiple forms:
- Economic security via staking. Where any asset can be staked, be it your native asset, eth or restaked eth, or any asset you find agreeable
- Security via designated signers appointed via multisigs
- Optimistic security by providing for a delay in message processing and allowing for vetos
- Security through light client verification (with the aid of some handy ZK magic)
Ultimately, Hyperlane enables the incorporation of any logic developers want. Developers can create their own ISM logic and allow other developers to benefit from their work, creating a network effect in security provision.
With Hyperlane, integrators can bring a context-based approach to their security. Just as your bank uses different security measures for different actions, i.e., only your PIN for small withdrawals but a series of identification questions for larger ones and even wire limits, so does Hyperlane.
You can control which chains you’re connected to. You can use different ISMs for different chains based on how risky you think they are. You can use different ISMs for different types of messages. For example, you can use economic security for smaller transactions to ensure low latency, and optimistic security for larger ones. This custom control is what makes Hyperlane’s Permissionless Interoperability thrive.
What does it mean to you?
If you’re part of the modular ecosystem you need to become familiar with the concepts of permissionless interoperability we’ve talked about. As a deployer of a sovereign chain or a rollup, you should know what different tools are there to help you succeed in growing a vibrant economy with trade routes to others. If you’re working on a rollup business or framework you want to be thinking about how your users’ rollups will be connected to each other as well as to existing chains. These connections will be integral in the initial bootstrapping phase, but also for the growth and steady state phases of any new chain or rollup. At Hyperlane we spend all of our time thinking about these things, and are happy to talk through it with you, whether Hyperlane is a fit for your needs or not. Join our discord or shoot us a DM anytime.
There’s still a lot of progress to be made, both with respect to modular blockchains, and permissionless interoperability. But what is clear is that these two concepts have a symbiotic and synergistic relationship that can combine to accelerate the growth of the industry.
More about Hyperlane
Hyperlane is the first Permissionless Interoperability layer, enabling anyone to connect any blockchain, out-of-the-box. With Hyperlane, developers can build Interchain Applications, apps that abstract away the complexity of interchain interactions and serve users on any connected chain. Additionally, Hyperlane’s modular security stack gives developers the power to customize their interchain security. Hyperlane development is open-source and led by core developers at Abacus Works.
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