Built on the ERC-7786 standard, OpenBridge removes vendor lock-in, allowing developers to compose enhanced security for high-value transactions using any combination of interoperability protocols
OpenZeppelin, the most trusted provider of open source standards for building secure blockchain applications, and Interop Labs, the initial developer of Axelar, a leading web3 interoperability platform, announced the launch of OpenBridge, an open source framework for developers to integrate multiple interoperability protocols in a single message. OpenBridge is built on the ERC-7786 crosschain messaging standard, recently endorsed by the Ethereum Foundation’s Interoperability Working Group.
With OpenBridge, an application can combine multiple interoperability protocols in a single multichain transaction, requiring verification from some or all of them before the transaction is approved. This configuration, sometimes called x of y of n, can be used to enhance security for high-value transactions.
OpenZeppelin and Interop Labs announced OpenBridge ahead of ZuBerlin, an Ethereum developer conference that will gather industry leaders, founders, and researchers working on crosschain interoperability.
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“This is about giving developers composability in cross-chain, without putting any proprietary code, externally owned accounts or venture-backed middlemen in between,” said Sergey Gorbunov, CEO of Interop Labs and co-founder of Axelar protocol. “Most importantly, OpenBridge is open source, just like the ERC-7786 standard it is built upon.”
ERC-7786 provides a standard application programming interface (API) for crosschain messaging, eliminating vendor lock-in by allowing developers to switch providers or expand coverage without rewriting application logic. It has been designed to integrate with any protocol or bridge (supporting ERC-7786 natively or through gateway adapters). At present, Axelar and Wormhole connections are enabled using adapters.
Working on a similar concept to a multi-signature wallet, OpenBridge sends messages through multiple ERC-7786-compliant bridges and requires multiple confirmations before delivery. For example, OpenBridge would enable a DeFi protocol to set an added layer of security for high-value loans, requiring 2-out-of-3 interoperability protocols to confirm collateral before issuing a crosschain loan.
“Our goal is to make secure multichain development as intuitive as developing for a single chain. By building OpenBridge on the ERC-7786 standard, we’re giving developers a composable, open source framework that lets them easily utilize multiple bridges at once for maximum security and reliability, while also ensuring that any bridge can be added via an ERC-7786 adapter,” said Jonathan Alexander, CTO of OpenZeppelin.
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