May the Force Bridge be with you . . .
Force Bridge is a cross-chain bridge that connects Nervos to other chains, making it easier for developers to expand their dApps and user base to the Nervos ecosystem.
If you haven’t heard the news, Force Bridge is LIVE on Mainnet.
NOTE: This is just the beginning. Right now Force Bridge on Ethereum is LIVE, but you can’t really do much at this point except convert your Ethereum Assets to the derivative ckETH. When Yokaiswap goes live, you will be able to take your ckETH and stake in Liquidity Pools (LP).
If you are paying attention to Nervos or simply curious about what makes them tick, you really have to understand the term Force Bridge and how it will help make Nervos the Universal Blockchain.
We all know there are lots of of coins today. Just take a look at Coingecko. Blockchain technology is becoming more and more relevant and with that, so is the importance of interconnecting these chains. It seems that everyone has there own unique way of building a bridge from one chain to another with no real standards.
We can all agree that cross-chain technology should be easy and should allow information to flow between chains smoothly. If all chains are isolated and not easy to communicate with, how can you enjoy the full benefits or experience of what blockchain has to offer? One word.
Interoperability
This is one of the main goals of Nervos.
Introducing Nervos Force Bridge
Force Bridge (open source) is Nervos’ answer to interoperability. Force Bridge works similarly to other cross-chain bridges. Where it shines is how it fits into Nervos' overall interoperability 2.0 plan and its ease of use.
Interoperability 2.0 for Nervos is simply just solving incompatible standards and a hodgepodge of user interfaces to create a single interface capable of interacting with every blockchain. This is what Nervos is going to accomplish.
The other two components of Universal Passport are PW Core, a powerful SDK which makes applications accessible to users across all chains, and Polyjuice, an Ethereum compatible layer on top of CKB. Together, they create an easier, more efficient, and seamless experience for blockchain developers and users.
Which assets can be transferred across the Force Bridge?
ETH and whitelisted ERC-20 tokens can be transferred from the Etherum blockchain to the Nervos blockchain. Currently, supported tokens include the following:
DAI
USDT
USDC
NOTE: As the list changes, you can view an update from the following link.
How is Force Bridge different from other Bridges?
Let’s peel this onion. For example, most bridges, require multiple steps before an asset can be moved. Deploying, registering and specifying the relationship is all required. This is a very complex and tedious process.
No thank you.
With Force Bridge, simply deploy the contract to begin asset movement to a user or dApp. The bottom line is the ability to move freely between chains and across the spectrum of dApps with little or no obstacles is how Nervos will bring more interoperability to the DeFi space.
For example, when sending assets from the Ethereum blockchain using the Force Bridge UI, the assets are locked into a multi-signature wallet on Ethereum. Corresponding tokens are then minted on the Nervos Network blockchain and sent to the users wallet address. Next, the SUDT tokens will be burned when transferring assets back to the Ethereum blockchain. On the Ethereum side, the matching token type will be unlocked and thereby transferring the value back.
Do I have to Pay a Toll to use the Bridge?
There is a small fee to use the bridge. The fee covers not only bridge costs, but also includes the on-chain storage fees for CKB on the Nervos blockchain. This means that you do not need to have any CKB prior to transferring assets to the Nervos side of the bridge.
Fee prices are available online and differ according to each asset.
Note: There is a minimum value that can be sent across the Force Bridge. The minimum value is different according to each asset. In addition, A total of 27 confirmations will be required when transferring assets over Force Bridge. On Ethereum 12 occur, with another 15 on the Nervos Network side.
Force Bridge Quick Tour
Let’s take a look at Force Bridge in action. Browse to the following link: In this example, ckETH is ETH on the Nervos platform. This is an asset minted from ETH on Nervos through a cross-chain bridge (Force Bridge).
Click Bridge to create ckEth and sign the transaction in Metamask.
In addition, you can view your history as well below:
You have the ability to reverse the order as shown below:
Ethereum is the first blockchain to be integrated with Force Bridge. In development is a trustless bridge between Cardano and Nervos which allows cross-chain transactions and provides a faster and cheaper alternative to the Ethereum chain. All of this interoperability will allow users from other chains to use their wallets to trade in the same liquidity pool on CKB with Yokaiswap. YokaiSwap is the first interoperable AMM, DEX, Yield Farming and Staking platform on the Nervos Network.
NOTE: Yokaiswap is currently in Testnet phase. For more information on Nervos’ roadmap, see link.
One of the first tokens that will be supported on Yokai will be Ethereum; it allows users to interact with Nervos’s native currency CKB and ETH interchangeably. The number of assets supported will continue to grow. For more information on YokaiSwap, see below.
I hope this helps with seeing the vision a bit more clearly. Please leave comment below. I would love to see discussions taking place.