The development of the internet into today’s powerful tool for connectivity wasn’t due to widespread understanding of its core protocols, such as HTTP, TCP/IP, and UDP. Instead, these technical complexities were abstracted, allowing the public to use the internet without needing to know the details. In the same way, blockchain technology and blockchain-native applications are expected to undergo a similar evolution over time.

Chain Abstraction Concept

Proposed by NEAR, chain abstraction aims to separate blockchain technology from user experience (UX), simplifying the ways users interact with blockchain technology. With this, users can engage with blockchain applications without needing to know the specific blockchain they’re using.

Chain Abstraction Framework

To hide the complexity from users, the chain abstraction framework is divided into three structural layers: Application Layer, Account Layer, and Blockchain Layer. These layers address the unique challenges developers, end-users, and infrastructure providers face when interacting across multiple chains.

Application Layer Chain Abstraction: Reducing Cross-Chain Complexity for Developers

Challenges
In a multi-chain ecosystem, developers face the significant challenge of efficiently deploying applications across various blockchains. Each chain has its own language, technology stack, and security mechanisms, requiring developers to adapt to each specific chain. For example, an application developed on Ethereum would need to be redeveloped in Sui’s Move language for deployment on the Sui chain. This redundant development effort and cross-chain operations increase complexity, cost, and can slow innovation.

Chain Abstraction Solution
Application-layer chain abstraction provides a unified interface and tools, such as SDKs and APIs, that streamline development in a multi-chain environment. By using cross-chain signatures and transaction coordination mechanisms, developers can deploy their code seamlessly across multiple chains. Projects like Agoric, Skip, and Socket are advancing tools in this area, enabling developers to execute cross-chain transactions with a single signature. Enhancing developer experience is key to the growth of blockchain ecosystems, and chain abstraction accelerates the developer-application-user feedback loop, spurring innovation.

Account Layer Chain Abstraction: Optimizing User Experience, Simplifying Asset Management

Challenges
In a multi-chain environment, regular users often encounter the complex task of managing assets across various chains. Each chain requires separate account management, asset tracking, and manual handling of gas fees, complicating user experience and raising the entry barrier for Web3 applications. This complexity makes blockchain applications less appealing to mainstream internet users.

Chain Abstraction Solution
Account-layer chain abstraction significantly improves user experience through unified account management, automated gas payments, and cross-chain identity integration. Through a unified interface, users can see their asset balances across all chains without needing to check each one individually. Additionally, with a single identity, users can freely transact and interact across different chains, reducing the hassle of managing multiple accounts. Projects such as Particle Network, XION, and NEAR are exploring solutions in this area to improve Web3 application user experience to levels closer to traditional internet applications.

Blockchain Layer Chain Abstraction: Enhancing Interoperability, Supporting Infrastructure Development

Challenges
On the blockchain layer, chain abstraction primarily addresses the interoperability and security challenges infrastructure providers face when deploying across multiple chains. Fragmentation between blockchains leads to security risks, divided liquidity, and communication inconsistencies. For instance, cross-chain bridges have been historically vulnerable to security exploits, posing significant risks to asset safety.

Chain Abstraction Solution
Blockchain-layer chain abstraction enhances compatibility and data sharing between chains through standardized cross-chain communication protocols, like Cosmos’ IBC and Polkadot’s XCMP. Chains built on the same technology stack, such as those in the Cosmos ecosystem based on Tendermint, can more easily interoperate, reducing security risks and deployment costs. Unified cross-chain security mechanisms further reduce the complexity of cross-chain interactions, improving liquidity and ecosystem collaboration.
Each of these three layers is indispensable: the application layer provides tools that make chain abstraction applicable, the account layer directly impacts user experience, and the blockchain layer forms the foundation ensuring technical feasibility. Chain abstraction solutions across these layers are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, working toward the ultimate goal of optimizing user experience.

Chain Abstraction Solutions

NEAR

As a sharded proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain, NEAR focuses on bridging the gap between blockchain-native applications and the mainstream audience. NEAR achieves this through account aggregation, a multi-layered architecture that abstracts critical pain points of using blockchain networks, such as switching wallets, managing gas fees, and cross-chain interactions. All interactions are consolidated within a single account. NEAR’s unique FastAuth key management system lowers the entry barrier, further enhancing blockchain abstraction for end-users. FastAuth allows users to register for a blockchain-native account with just an email address and uses a passkey (via biometric authentication instead of passwords) to replace complex private keys and passwords.

Agoric

Agoric is a native Layer 1 blockchain within the Cosmos ecosystem, designed with an asynchronous, multi-block execution environment to facilitate cross-chain applications. Agoric utilizes Cosmos’ IBC protocol for inter-chain communication and Axelar’s General Message Passing (GMP) to interact with ecosystems beyond Cosmos. By abstracting the complexities involved in cross-chain communication and smart contract execution, Agoric’s coordinated application interfaces (APIs) simplify the developer experience, enabling end-users to benefit from applications with built-in chain abstraction capabilities.

Conclusion

As the blockchain industry continues to evolve, the mainstream choice of chains is likely to change, with various applications deploying on different chains best suited to their needs. We are moving toward a multi-chain future, which will inevitably introduce more user experience challenges, hindering the adoption of mainstream applications. Therefore, chain abstraction is imperative.