Awarded once after a correct answer.
Follow both legs and their trust assumptions
Useful first : From signing to settlement
Read the mechanics · Step 5 / 6
A bridge coordinates information or value between environments.
The essentials
A bridge coordinates information or value between environments. It may lock assets and issue a representation, burn and mint under an issuer’s rules, or use liquidity supplied on the destination. Identify which model is actually used rather than treating all bridges as the same product.
How it works
Map who verifies the source event and who can authorise the destination action. Security can depend on contracts, validators, signers, proof systems and governance. The settlement properties of each connected chain do not automatically protect the mechanism between them.
What to watch
Fast delivery may use a liquidity provider while a slower native withdrawal follows its own settlement process. Fees, available capacity and emergency exits differ. Record both sides of the operation so that a completed source transaction is not mistaken for a completed destination transfer.
Understand the details
Track a cross-chain instruction through source inclusion, message verification, destination execution and reconciliation. Each stage may have a separate identifier and failure path. Establish which operator can retry safely and which state proves that value has already been delivered. A timeout in an interface can occur after an on-chain action; repeating the entire operation without checking can create duplicate exposure.
Boundaries and common mistakes
A bridge route is not interchangeable with another route solely because both display the same asset ticker. Redemption and recovery mechanisms differ.
The mechanism at a glance
- 01Source event
- 02Message verification
- 03Destination execution
- 04Reconciliation
Read these as connected concepts, not necessarily consecutive steps.
Read the explanation
Track a cross-chain instruction through source inclusion, message verification, destination execution and reconciliation. Each stage may have a separate identifier and failure path. Establish which operator can retry safely and which state proves that value has already been delivered. A timeout in an interface can occur after an on-chain action; repeating the entire operation without checking can create duplicate exposure.
Put the mechanism into context
A fictional source transfer is confirmed, but the destination message remains pending. The wallet displays a completed source transaction.
Apply it in the workshop →What this mechanism does not guarantee
A bridge route is not interchangeable with another route solely because both display the same asset ticker. Redemption and recovery mechanisms differ.
The distinction that changes the analysis
A source-side lock can complete while destination delivery is delayed or fails. Track the two states with a message identifier and a documented recovery route. A successful source transaction is not evidence that the destination funds are already spendable.
Explain it yourself
Revisit the case above. Name what is established, what remains to be checked and the evidence needed to conclude. A strong answer addresses both sides of the diagram.
Apply the lesson to a case
A fictional source transfer is confirmed, but the destination message remains pending. The wallet displays a completed source transaction.
Source confirmation establishes only that stage. Check destination execution and the receiving balance before declaring completion or retrying.
Terms in this lesson
- Validator
- A participant performing protocol-defined validation and consensus duties; on Ethereum, stake supports these duties.
Prepare a correction note
Describe the passage and the proposed correction. This creates a local note for you to share; it sends nothing. Do not include personal or confidential information.