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Architecture overview

bridge architecture

Layers of the bridging ecosystem​

  1. Message Service: responsible for cross-chain messages between Ethereum and Linea
    • A mechanism that allows a contract on the source chain to safely interact with a contract on the target chain (e.g. L1TokenBridge triggering mint on the L2TokenBridge)
    • Responsible for bridging ETH (native currency on L1 and L2)
    • Supports:
      • push: auto-execution on target layer if a fee is paid (not yet available)
      • pull: users / protocols responsible for triggering the transaction
  2. Canonical Token Bridge: the “lock & mint” contracts that allow bridging to any ERC20
    • Relies on the Message Service for cross-chain interactions.
    • Does not come with any UI
  3. Third-party liquidity bridge: the preferred solution for an end-user
    • Has UI
    • Can bridge to and from any chain (not only between Linea and Ethereum)
    • Has close to zero execution delay
    • Relies on the Canonical Token Bridge to balance liquidity on both chains
  4. Metabridge: the official UI for Linea
    • Aggregates third-party liquidity bridge services
    • Will only be available for mainnet