Architecture
Confidentiality and reliability at the core
The Asterizm technology is based on the principle of on-chain validation and integrity checks for cross-chain transactions, which take place within the Asterizm Connector contracts on the destination network, using data received from off-chain entities to provide a confidential cross-chain communication channel that is decentralized, incredibly cost-efficient, and has extremely low cross-chain transaction latency.
Asterizm secures cross-chain transactions with the Asterizm Connector as an on-chain module and two independent off-chain entities: Asterizm Relayers and Client off-chain module.
Components
Relayer servers - Asterizm or partner servers that function as a transport layer. These servers transmit proofs (hash, xID) of cross-chain transactions from one network to another without necessitating consensus between them. Instead, they adhere to rules that entail waiting for the appropriate number of blocks to validate the transaction in each supported network, resulting in a substantial acceleration of cross-chain transactions.
Client off-chain module - The module for the client-server infrastructure is a Docker image that operates as a cross-chain transaction payload (data) transmitter.
Asterizm Connector - a lightweight on-chain client consisting of Initializer and Translator smart contracts deployed on each chain supported by Asterizm to perform cross-chain operations by providing validity and integrity checks for each cross-chain transaction.
Key Concept
The architecture has been designed to:
ensure validity and integrity of cross-chain transactions without using any off-chain consensus or centralized approach in EVM and non-EVM networks;
ensure the privacy of data transferred from one chain to another;
provide the ability to integrate various products in plug-and-play format to simplify the development of complex cross-chain projects;
provide flexibility of customization and transparency of use.
The concept of Asterizm is to provide a modular and confidential channel between various public or private chains through a transparent mechanism for on-chain transaction validity and integrity verification, coupled with a unique architecture for the off-chain part. This off-chain part serves as a transport layer for payloads and transaction proofs in the form of hash and xID.
The hash is generated in the source network on the client smart contract based on transaction data, payload, source and destination chain addresses, and several other parameters.
Check out the full cross-chain transaction flow on the Transaction flow page
Cross-chain transaction validity and integrity verification is performed in two steps:
Upon the initialization of a cross-chain transaction on the client's smart contract in the source network, a hash is computed from the transmitted data, and a unique ID for that transaction is generated. Subsequently, the Client server retrieves the payload, hash, and xID for transmission to the destination network. Relay servers, on the other hand, receive only the hash and xID from the client contract for transmission to the destination network.
In the destination network, before executing the payload received from the client contract via the Client server, checks are performed to ensure the validity and integrity of the transaction. This is achieved by calculating a hash from the received payload and comparing it with the hash obtained from relayer servers. Additionally, there is a verification of the xID to prevent duplicates and spam transactions.
This approach takes cross-chain messaging to a new enterprise-grade level, marked by extremely low messaging latency, confidentiality at the transport level, and an optimized economic model that reduces the costs of cross-chain transactions.
The Asterizm solution concept eliminates the need for a network of validators with its own off-chain consensus since it requires the establishment of an economic model, imposes additional costs on customers, and takes additional time to process each cross-chain transaction due to the need for consensus between validators.
The architecture of our solution allows you to flexibly set up the infrastructure for cross-chain operations and quickly integrate our software, while respecting all internal security policies and not relying on the security of a third party, as seen with other bridges.
The risk of hacking the client's server or relayer servers is mitigated in the destination network by on-chain transaction validation using a hash function from payload and xID. This guarantees transaction validity and integrity in the source and destination networks, thereby eliminating the risk of a 51% attack.
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