Web3 user experience (UX) and developer experience (DX) are fragmented and complex. The fragmented experience requires users to understand the differences between chains, manage multiple wallets and accounts, and pay for gas on each chain with different tokens.
Chain abstraction is a practical concept that simplifies user experience by detaching underlying blockchain tech to provide blockchain-agnostic interaction, a unified wallet experience, and seamless interoperability.
Understanding Chain Abstraction
Chain abstraction simplifies user and developer experiences across blockchains by abstracting interaction complexities to provide a unified interface for interacting with dApps and protocols across supported chains. It is crucial for Web3’s adoption and onboarding since it makes ecosystems accessible and inclusive.
For developers, chain abstraction enables us to transcend the limits of individual networks with interoperability and composability across heterogeneous chains. Some advantages of chain abstraction are seamless asset transfers, multi-ecosystem-owned liquidity, and true decentralized governance across domains.
“If web2 users don’t have to specify TCP or UDP, when does Web3 users have to specify a chain?” - Waikit Lau
Imagine an inclusive cross-chain DeFi experience where you can swap tokens across chains and pay gas fees with any token on any chain. Features like this are similar via chain abstraction technology.
Axelar’s Approach to Chain Abstraction
Axelar is a decentralized PoS network that powers interoperability across most Web3 chains by enabling developers to build apps that communicate, interact, and share value with other chains.
Chain abstraction is a key subset of interoperability, and Axelar is the biggest player in chain abstraction due to the features and methodology it achieves chain abstraction.
Axelar Enables True Chain Abstraction off the Bat
Axelar’s approach to chain abstraction caters to end-users and developers in the same fashion as abstracting complexity. Developers build once and run everywhere, while users pay once and transact anywhere.
Axelar currently supports 60+ blockchains across multiple services, and that’s the most for any web3 interoperability project.
Axelar Expands Ecosystems With Seamless Integration
Axelar is the ONLY interoperability solution with smart contract functionality, and this enhances its chain abstraction capabilities.
End-users and developers can interact with multiple chains without understanding the specifics of the underlying technology. This concept is why it’s safe to call Axelar the Stripe of Web3.
Axelar Simplifies Multi-Chain Operations
Axelar provides multiple innovative solutions, like the Axelar gas service, which converts gas tokens and executes transactions to enable users to pay for multichain transactions in one click with the source chain token. You’d see this functionality in both Squid’s swap and NFT checkout dApps.
Axelar virtual machine and stack design solve chain abstraction as multichain deployments become more sophisticated.
Conclusion
Chain abstraction is the compelling solution that may fix the fragment and onboard the next 1 billion users to Web3. Axelar’s interoperability tech is en route to solving the UX and DX issues for users and developers.