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Introduction to Aspens Protocol

What is Aspens Protocol?

Aspens Protocol is a new architecture for cross-chain composability. It enables transfer and interoperability between different blockchains, allowing assets, intents, and applications to move and operate across chains without friction.

By providing a unified framework for cross-chain communication, Aspens Protocol lets developers build applications that can access liquidity, data, and functionality across multiple blockchains, enabling new use cases that aren't possible on a single chain.

Key benefits of Aspens Protocol include:

  • Universal Composability: Build applications that interact with multiple blockchains as easily as with a single chain
  • Secure Interoperability: All cross-chain actions are cryptographically verified and trust-minimized
  • Extensible Design: New chains and protocols can be integrated without redesigning the core architecture

The First Service: Aspens Markets Stack

Aspens Markets Stack (AMS) is the first service built on Aspens Protocol. AMS is a cross-chain trading system that lets users directly trade digital assets between different blockchains.

Operators can deploy the stack independently, and developers can build applications on top of it without relying on centralized parties.

Key Features

  • Cross-Chain Trading: Trade Bitcoin for Ethereum, or Solana tokens for Cosmos assets directly between chains
  • Non-Custodial: You keep control of your assets until a trade executes - no third party holds your funds
  • Independent Operation: Run your own stack on your own infrastructure with your own rules
  • On-Chain Verification: Every trade is verified on both blockchains involved in the transaction
  • Immutable Contracts: Smart contracts cannot be changed after deployment, creating predictable trade behavior

Intents Based

For Ethereum and compatible chains, Aspens implements the ERC-7683 intents standard. This means:

  • Apps built on Aspens can work with 40+ other chains using this standard
  • A trade intent created on Arbitrum can be fulfilled through Aspens on Optimism
  • Intents can be composed with other DeFi protocols for more complex operations

Chain Support

Aspens works with many blockchain types:

  • EVM: Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain
  • Cosmos: Osmosis, Cosmos Hub, (ATOM), Secret Network via IBC
  • Solana: Native SVM chains
  • Move-based: Sui, Aptos
  • Zero-knowledge: ZK rollups like zkSync, StarkNet
  • Upcoming: 0xMiden zkVM 'edge' chain

The system is built so new chains can be added without redesigning the core architecture.

Start Building with Aspens

Here's how to get started:

Architecture Overview

Architecture

An Aspens Markets Stack has these parts:

  • Orderbook: Matches buy and sell orders across chains
  • Contract Manager: Handles blockchain interactions
  • Trading UI: Web interface for users
  • APIs: For developers to build applications
  • Security Layer: Protects against attacks and ensures trade integrity
  • Journal: Records all trades for verification

For example, when a trader wants to swap ETH on Arbitrum for USDC on Optimism, the orderbook finds a matching counterparty, the contract manager coordinates the asset transfer on both chains, and the journal records the completed transaction.