Original article: https://www.parity.io/blog/scalability-tradeoffs-polkadot-web3
By Andrei Sandu
Compiled by: OneBlock+
Despite years of continuous progress in blockchain technology, Web3 still faces a core problem: it is difficult for ordinary users to get started.
In the current Web3 world, users often need to deal with various wallets, signatures, bridges between chains, complex address formats, and completely different interaction logics.
In order for blockchain to truly enter the mainstream market, the underlying complexity must be "hidden" so that users can complete operations as naturally as using Web2 applications: no need to think about which chain is behind it, how transactions are completed across chains, and who guarantees security. Chain Abstraction was born for this purpose - it attempts to break the fragmentation of multiple chains and make the interaction between users and chains simple, unified, and imperceptible.
Under this trend, more and more project parties have begun to implement chain abstraction. Polkadot provides infrastructure support for chain abstraction at the protocol level through the XCM protocol and shared security model. This article will take you to an in-depth understanding of the concept, technical path and practical significance of chain abstraction, analyze the exploration direction of different projects, and focus on how Polkadot plays a key role in this process.
🔮 What is chain abstraction in Web3?
Chain abstract core concept
The core idea of chain abstraction is to allow users and developers to freely use cross-chain applications and assets without having to understand or operate the underlying blockchain structure.
As Agoric CEO Dean Tribble said:
“When I order a burger from DoorDash, I don’t care whether the restaurant uses Google Cloud or AWS. I just want a burger.” — Dean Tribble
The same should be true for Web3. Users should be able to freely swap, pledge, borrow, or buy NFTs without having to figure out which chain they are on or which protocols are used behind the transaction.
Today’s crypto-native users are already familiar with the powerful potential of blockchain, but if the threshold for use remains high, Web3 will be difficult to achieve large-scale popularization. Chain abstraction is the key to solving this dilemma.
How does chain abstraction differ from account abstraction?
Chain abstraction focuses on the “hidden processing” of cross-chain interactions, allowing users to operate multiple blockchains in a unified interface without having to worry about the underlying chain structure.
Account abstraction focuses on the flexibility of "transaction authorization methods". For example, smart contracts or agents can automatically help users execute transactions.
The two can be used in tandem. For example, Ethereum’s upcoming EIP-7702 is an account abstraction solution that enables user interaction based on “intention” — users only need to ask “what I want to do”, and the system will automatically handle the operation process, which will further promote the development of chain abstraction.
🛠️ The value and application of chain abstraction
Improving Web3 user experience
Currently, users in Web3 often need to operate multiple wallets, cross-chain bridges, and deal with complex signature processes. Just transferring assets from one chain to another is daunting.
Chain abstraction greatly simplifies the experience by integrating complex cross-chain operations in the background and providing users with a unified and smooth interactive interface.
Seun Lanlege, co-founder of Polytope Labs and core developer of Hyperbridge, mentioned that the cross-chain application of stablecoins is a typical case where chain abstraction has been implemented:
“Stablecoins themselves are like reserve assets, and people naturally want them to be easy to use in any scenario. The combination of bridges and stablecoins just meets this requirement.” - Seun Lanlege
Zaki Manian, co-founder of Sommelier Protocol, also said that the cross-chain transfer protocol CCTP (Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol) launched by Circle is even better than many other technical paths in improving cross-chain user experience.
Solving blockchain fragmentation and interoperability issues
With the birth of more and more public chains, Rollups and Appchains, liquidity between chains is fragmented and user experience is increasingly fragmented.
Without chain abstraction, users have to manually cross bridges, manage multiple wallets, and face inconsistent interfaces and experiences. The emergence of chain abstraction can connect these "information islands" and enable assets and operations to flow smoothly between different chains.
Although stablecoins and perpetual markets have become increasingly "chain-abstracted", scenarios like meme casinos still face considerable resistance, which also shows that although the development of chain abstraction is accelerating, it still faces challenges.
Changing mobility and resource management
Chain abstraction can break down barriers between chains and allow assets to flow freely, thereby reducing the problem of liquidity fragmentation.
In recent years, "liquidity abstraction" has made significant progress. Users can directly operate balances and deploy funds without having to care about the chain where the assets are located.
This also helps developers avoid the separation of users and liquidity caused by multi-chain deployment.
🔒 Key technologies and security risks
What key technologies are needed to achieve chain abstraction?
The current technologies supporting chain abstraction mainly include:
Cross-chain communication protocols, such as Polkadot’s XCM and Cosmos’ IBC
Various cross-chain bridges, such as Hyperbridge, IBC Eureka, Circle CCTP
Orchestration tool responsible for coordinating cross-chain operations
Account abstraction schemes that support flexible authorization models (such as Ethereum’s EIP-7702)
Among them, Polkadot is designed to support chain abstraction from the underlying protocol level by "aggregating security and message communication". This hub-and-spoke model is different from the point-to-point interconnection model of Cosmos.
“In Polkadot, you just connect to the backbone network and instantly interoperate with other chains, automatically gaining shared security.” — Seun Lanlege
Does chain abstraction pose a security risk?
Security is always one of the core issues. It is crucial to build high-trust smart contracts, and users should avoid relying on opaque off-chain agents to perform operations.
A safer way is to use mechanisms such as Agoric, Hyperbridge or Polkadot's shared security to build trusted smart contracts and orchestration systems to provide users with a truly controllable and reliable cross-chain interaction experience.
🎾 Who is leading the implementation of chain abstraction technology?
The projects currently leading the way in the field of chain abstraction include:
Polkadot : Inter-chain interoperability through XCM and support for Rollup interoperability
Cosmos : Building an inter-chain communication ecosystem based on IBC
Agoric : Focus on orchestration capabilities at the smart contract layer
Polytope Labs / Hyperbridge : Driving trusted communication of cross-chain messages
Sommelier Protocol : Focus on cross-chain asset management and liquidity solutions
Both Polkadot and Cosmos have their own strengths in the direction of "user-centric" chain abstraction, although there are differences in their technical architecture and concepts.
“With the explosion of Appchain, people finally realized the need for cross-chain abstraction, because the number of chains has become too large to ignore.” - Dean Tribble
🏃 What challenges does chain abstraction currently face?
Despite the strong momentum, chain abstraction still has many technical challenges to overcome:
The execution environment varies greatly between chains
Long transaction finality times (especially Ethereum)
High Gas Fees
Some ecosystem interoperability is still weak
The technical threshold for building cross-chain intent and orchestration systems is high
Currently, the infrastructure is constantly improving, but more complex cross-chain interactions still require more exploration and optimization.
🚩 Summary: The essence of chain abstraction is user experience
The ultimate goal of chain abstraction is to provide users with a seamless experience comparable to Web2.
No one wants to worry about chains, bridges, and wallets all the time. They just want to easily pledge, trade, borrow, buy NFTs, or invest in a portfolio - simple, safe, and brainless.
The model of "shared security + central communication + pragmatism" proposed by Polkadot is considered to be the path closest to this goal. Although challenges remain, the multi-chain future is accelerating from vision to reality.
