About
10 min
What is ZetaChain?
An overview
ZetaChain is the foundational, public blockchain that enables omnichain smart contracts and messaging between any blockchain. It solves the problems of “cross-chain” and “multi-chain” and aims to open the crypto and global financial ecosystem to anyone.
ZetaChain envisions and supports a truly fluid, multi-chain crypto ecosystem, where users and developers can move between and appreciate the benefits of any blockchain: payments, DeFi, liquidity, games, art, social graphs, performance, security, privacy, and more.
Get a closer look at ZetaChain's background and architecture
Read the Whitepaper →Key Features
Chain Abstraction Framework
ZetaChain is a decentralized and public blockchain network. It is built on Cosmos SDK and Comet BFT consensus. The unique feature of ZetaChain is the Chain Abstraction Framework (CAF), which enables omnichain connectivity of the network to any blockchain. This framework is accessible through the Universal EVM, which is a synchronous environment that can be called from any chain, manage native assets on any chain, and access asynchronous arbitrary messaging to call contracts on other chains. Developing with the CAF offers the ability to build robust state management combined with multi-leg, multi-chain apps' needs, all in the familiar EVM development environment. The resulting user experience is unbounded, where the majority of apps can be used entirely from any single network while the rest of the app logic can be affordably, securely, and performantly abstracted.
Hyper-connected nodes
ZetaChain's nodes have observers that monitor transactions on every connected chain. Through ZetaChain's TSS architecture, the network can sign and verify transactions on every connected chain. By being able to read and write to connected chains in a secure, decentralized manner, these hyper-connected nodes provide a seamless Chain Abstraction Framework for developers to build novel and powerful cross-chain applications.
Omnichain smart contracts
Smart contracts deployed natively on ZetaChain can read/write to connected chains. ZetaChain is the only public blockchain to support smart contracts with this capability, enabling a new paradigm of app development.
Cross-chain message passing
A developer can pass messages (data and value) between chains and layers with simple function calls. Through message passing, a dApp developer can build powerful cross-chain applications by simply implementing a few functions within their existing smart contracts. By composing messaging capabilities with Omnichain Smart Contracts, apps can abstract multi-leg cross-chain transactions in tandem with native asset movements and interactions. For example, a contract on ZetaChain could be called by a user on Bitcoin and also enact external contract calls on Ethereum and BNB Chain, and more legs thereafter — all in just one step for the user.
Managed external assets
ZetaChain's network and dApps built on top of ZetaChain can manage assets and vaults of externally connected chains. This allows assets on any chain to be managed just as a smart contract on a single chain can manage assets on its respective chain. A dApp on ZetaChain can thus orchestrate and bring smart contract logic to any connected chain. This property applies to all chains, including non-smart-contract chains, like Bitcoin and Dogecoin.
Technical Roadmap
Key development milestones
ZetaChain’s mission is to serve as a platform for universal access, simplicity, and utility across any blockchains. ZetaChain’s initial mainnet launch contains all core functionality contemplated within ZetaChain’s proposed features, including its EVM layer, omnichain smart contracts, and cross-chain messaging.
ZetaChain is a Proof-of-Stake blockchain designed for interoperability, supporting the creation of omnichain dApps that can span any chain, including the Bitcoin blockchain, where all transaction, incentives, data security, and cross-chain interaction requires ZETA tokens to function.
This document outlines the initial development directions that the protocol may take in order to improve and add onto the core functionality of the ZetaChain network, based on decentralized community input. All real development and upgrades will be done through governance, and development of the ZetaChain network is fully open-source — anybody can and should feel free to contribute to the development of the network. The community and contributors will drive the progress of the network.
Potential Key Development Roadmap Pillars
Pillar 1
Chain Integrations
Objective
Chains to Integrate
Approach
Expected Outcome
Challenges
Pillar 2
More dApp, Asset, and Transaction Types
Objective
Key Features
- Arbitrary omnichain smart contract messaging to/from ZetaChain.
- ZRC-20 whitelisting automation and expanded onboarding process.
- ZRC20-like NFT support for omnichain smart contracts.
- BRC20/Ordinals support in omnichain smart contracts.
- Standardized interactions with connected chains beyond fungible tokens (ZRC20 model).
Expected Outcome
Challenges
Pillar 3
Trust Model Improvement & Security
Objective
Strategies
- Shift from observation of inbound and outbound transactions to a proof-verification-based model.
- Reduce reliance on the assumption of 2/3 honest observers for external events.
- Improve observer/tss signer on-chain monitoring and incentives.
- Gradually increase decentralization and reduce central point of failures/control.
- Improve performance and reduce cost by utilizing zero-knowledge proof for validating external events/computations.
Expected Outcome
Challenges
Pillar 4
Performance and Robustness Improvement
Objective
Key Areas
- Higher cross-chain Transactions Per Second (TPS).
- Lower resource consumption and storage requirements for validators.
- Increase awareness of network operation, error/exception handling and recovery.
- Performance and chaos engineering tooling to battle-test new protocol upgrades.
Expected Outcome
Challenges
Pillar 5
Omnichain dApp Developer Tooling, SDK, and Support
Objective
Tools to Develop
- JavaScript/TypeScript SDKs, Telegram Bot SDK.
- Debugging tools.
- Cross-chain transaction simulation.
- Explorer/observability: especially better support for complex cross-chain dApps to expose the cross-chain sub-tx in an easy to understand way.
Expected Outcome
Challenges
Pillar 6
Taking Ownership of Key Dependencies
Objective
Key Areas
- Ethermint: Enhance compatibility with Ethereum tooling, efficiency, and interoperability with EVM and Cosmos modules.
- TSS-lib & Go-TSS: Improve security, performance, and support for new signature schemes and chains.
Expected Outcome
Challenges
About ZETA Token
Understand more about the token underpinning ZetaChain
Token Utility
How ZETA is used across components of the ZetaChain ecosystem.
5 min
Beginner
ZETA Token
All about the total supply of the ZETA token.
5 min
Beginner
ZETA Distribution
How the total supply of ZETA is distributed.
5 min
Beginner
Validator Incentives
How validator incentives are structured for securing the network.
5 min
Beginner
Gas Fees
How ZETA is used for gas fees for the network.
5 min
Beginner
Core Liquidity Pools
All about the core liquidity pools on ZetaChain.
5 min
Beginner
The inclusion of any third-party tools or services in our documentation is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement or guarantee of their reliability, security, or trustworthiness. Users are advised to conduct their own due diligence and exercise caution when using any third-party tools. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of such tools or services.