Building using the Axelar virtual machine: Interchain Maestro - orchestration like Kubernetes for Web3; and Interchain Amplifier - independent connection of new chains.
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For the last few year s Axelar Network successfully connected dozens of different blockchain ecosystems, processed hundreds of thousands of cross-chain requests and transferred billions of values.
As the number of chains and applications using the stack grows, so does the need to connect to even more chains, configure security, and simplify multi-chain development.
In this article we present Axelar virtual machine. Powered by Cosmwasm, the Axelar virtual machine turns compatibility into a programmable layer. It allows developers write smart contracts on Axelar, while simultaneously scaling their cross-chain deployments and “programming” the cross-chain network layer.
The Axelar virtual machine is at the heart of two additional products we are launching:
Interchain Amplifier is a non-access model and service that allows anyone to easily and simply create a connection to the Axelar network and all its interconnected chains.
Interchain Maestro is an orchestrator that developers can use to deploy and manage dApp instances across multiple chains. Interchain Maestro allows developers to build once and run everywhere.
Axelar launches a grant program for developers worth $5 million US to create using the Axelar virtual machine and extend the interchain.
Introduction
Interoperability is not a destination, it is a journey with the end goal of continually simplifying the interaction between developers and users across many systems. From the very beginning, the Axelar network was designed to simplify and speed up interactions between disparate systems. Today, the proof-of-security network connects more than 30 chains, handles hundreds of thousands of cross-chain calls, and connects users across communities.
Net Axelar, designed as an overlay, provides visibility of networks in the Web3 space. It protects the rights of developers to create any chain - and the rights of users to interact with any asset or application on any chain with a single click. Net Axelar is agnostic and timeless, it is driven by a single mission: scaling the decentralized Web ecosystem.
This article introduces the concept of programmable interoperability based on the Axelar virtual machine.
The current state of interchain interaction and its main problems
When it comes to blockchain interconnectivity, the topic of security is widely studied. However, many discussions tend to overlook other key properties such as development cost, cost-effectiveness, complexity, and the end-state topology that occurs when connecting thousands of circuits.
Creating cross-chain connections is expensive and cannot be reused
All connections—whether they use an on-chain verification method (such as light-clients or ZK proof) or an external set of validators—are expensive to create and maintain. They include many complex components: code, separate networks, relays between them, etc. Chain checking methods have the highest initial cost and are not easy to reuse because the code is highly dependent on the underlying chains.
The number of connections needed is growing
In the modern world, there are already more than 1,000 chains (and their number is growing) that need to be connected. To achieve a pairwise connection between them, 499,500 connections would be required. (More generally, in a peer-to-peer model where all connections are pairwise, we would need N(N-1)/2 connections between N chains to achieve full connectivity.) Obviously this would be impractical to create and maintain. It is therefore inevitable that in order to interact with other ecosystems, the chain must connect to a hub. Otherwise, it will have to take on the enormous and costly commitment of creating and maintaining N-1 other formations.
Creating and managing cross-chain dApps is expensive and complex.
Additionally, when deploying an cross-chain dApp, developers typically have to configure their contracts on multiple chains, select RPC providers, and subsequently perform identical management functions (such as updating or changing parameters) across all of them. As it turns out, most developers spend 70-80% of their time deploying and managing their dApps across multiple chains rather than innovating on the functionality and user experience of their dApps.
Solution: Hub-and-spoke routing + programmable compatibility.
Hubs such as the Axelar network can offer one-to-many routing properties. For the cost of creating one connection, the chain can gain access to N other interconnected ecosystems. In this model, connecting a light-client or ZK chain to the hub is the most cost-effective approach.
Given the rapid increase in the availability of L1s/L2s/data and other Web3 layers, how can we simplify the development of new connections to the Axelar network and optimize cross-chain dApp deployments?
Creating programmability at the internetworking layer itself is a better approach that allows you to more quickly and seamlessly expand new connections, customize the internetwork layer, and simplify the deployment of interchain connections. This is the ultimate goal that the Axelar virtual machine was designed to achieve.
Axelar virtual machine
The Axelar network-level virtual machine is designed to allow developers to program interactions between chains and combine each other's functions. We describe two key products designed to scale interactions using a virtual machine.
Interchain Amplifier
Interchain amplifier (Interchain Amplifier) allows developers to configure network connections without permission Axelar. Developers gain access to an interconnected network of chains Axelar and can “strengthen” their resources by paying a cost equivalent to developing just one connection. They can establish connections between new ecosystems or existing chains to add new network properties, such as improved security or better delivery and availability.
For example, after Ethereum will develop reliable light-clients and ZK-proofs for its state, the developer can easily integrate them into the network Axelarto replace or improve an existing connection.
Developers can also use independent connection paths to improve application-level security. IN blog dedicated to multipath routing, we describe how, for lower value transfers, an application can choose to accept messages authorized by any of the available connections. For higher value transfers, the application may require messages to travel through multiple independent paths before being approved. This architecture, coupled with the deployment of decentralized applications, allows developers to build scalable cross-chain technologies while adapting to future improvements in the cross-chain network layer.
Interchain Maestro
Maestro interchain (Interchain Maestro) introduces a new paradigm for building cross-chain applications: build once, run everywhere. This can be thought of as Kubernetes For Web3 - A set of contracts and orchestration templates to help you develop, deploy, and manage your decentralized application (dApp) across multiple chains. Developers will be able:
- Specify the contracts they want to deploy, as well as the associated chains and any control options.
- Store these confirmations and initial parameters in a smart contract on the network Axelar, which will then deploy them to all other networks.
- It is easy to extend or clone these contracts for additional chains.
- Update your contract code with just one transaction on the network Axelar, which will transmit the update to all its interconnected chains.
Developers can interact with multiple chains by simply posting transactions to the network Axelar in just one jump. This avoids the need to perform the same functions on multiple chains and provides consistent load management.
Build with us
A growing list of partners integrates with Axelar Virtual Machineto create software interoperability at all levels of the stack Web3. Projects such as Celestia, Centrifuge, Coinbase Base, MobileCoin, NEAR, Shardeum, StarkWare, zkSync and others are working to integrate and expand their ecosystems.
With the advent of interoperability programming through Axelar Virtual Machine we can define and program new properties of cross-chain interactions that go beyond simple transmission of arbitrary messages. Net Axelar is not a single protocol, but rather an everlasting ecosystem and ensemble of connectivity layers, connections, services and network functions that will evolve to link the stack Web3. Interchain Amplifier And Interchain Maestro are just two examples of such functions. The possibilities are endless.
To scale our project, we are announcing a grant program in the amount of $5 million for developers Axelar Virtual Machine. Purpose of the program - working with selected teams to (a) scale the creation of new connections between ecosystems, (b) improve security and (c) develop interchain orchestration patterns on Axelar Virtual Machine. Ideal candidates are developers with a deep understanding of consensus protocols and cryptography, as well as a strong engineering background. Click hereto learn more and apply for the grant program.
Translation author: love mushroom
