Interoperability
infrastructure · protocol
The ability of blockchains, wallets, and applications to exchange assets, messages, or data across different systems.
- Also known as
- cross-chain, multi-chain
Interoperability lets otherwise separate systems communicate. In crypto, it can mean moving tokens, proving events from another chain, sharing wallet standards, or sending messages between smart contracts.
Standards improve compatibility by defining addresses, signatures, token interfaces, metadata, and messaging formats. Security depends on the mechanism: custodial bridges, multisigs, light clients, and validity proofs have different trust models.
Related terms
Bridge
→Infrastructure that enables moving assets or messages across blockchains.
technology · defi
Atomic Swap
→A trustless exchange of assets across chains using time-locked contracts.
technology · trading
Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)
→An EIP is the formal proposal process for Ethereum protocol changes, interfaces, and application standards.
eth · standard