At
@union_build
we are all about transparency. That's why we decided to run the numbers and do a comprehensive analysis of Union's gas costs. The result? Union's gas costs scale extremely well. Read the full article here:
In short:
• Our research shows
New week, new article. This time the
@union_build
R&D team proudly presents its second research article: Intents bridging. Read it here:
In short:
• Intents bridging revolve around allowing third parties, rather than Union, to fulfill transfers.
•
@heindehaas
Dank voor je heldere, rustige uiteenzetting! Was een genot om naar je te luisteren. Wat betreft de woningmarkt: een vaak over het hoofd geziene oorzaak van de stijgende huizenprijzen is de grote hoeveelheid geld die sinds 2008 is gecreëerd. Dit verklaart ook waarom meerdere
The
@union_build
R&D team proudly presents its first research article: State lenses.
• A state lens is a conditional light client designed to extract state roots of specific chains from the state root of Union.
• By implementing state lenses it is as if 2 arbitrary,
After talking with various teams on settlement and rollup clusters, we decided to do some extended writing on how to leverage
@union_build
for unified settlement on whatever ecosystem you want. Read our full article on Unifying Settlement here:
In short:
You may have noticed a particular creature appearing in more of Union's branding.
A certain big fishie, with a unique spotting pattern and a chill attitude.
It's official: Union has adopted the Whale Shark as its mascot.
🧵
Excellent read by our valuable partner
@Lightshift_xyz
. In which they highlight and recognize:
1. Union's engineering-first approach that enabled the creation of the
@union_build
network.
2. How Union abstracts away the complexities of individual blockchains, allowing any type
Union (
@union_build
) is leading the way in real-world web3 applications with ZK-powered interoperability, overcoming the limitations of existing L1s and enabling true multi-blockchain ecosystems.
Here’s a look at how they’re doing it ↓
ZKLM🦥♥️🐋🦈
Union, The Modular 🦥 ZK Interoperability Layer
0_______0
▄██████████████▄.▐█▄▄▄▄█▌
████████████████▌▀▀██▀▀
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Problems we have
The
Finalizing the next research article with
@0x_Robbie
now. It's gonna be an absolute banger, but understanding why we need state lenses is a must.
DYOR, then join the Union.
Ngl. Seeing the ideas in our research articles come to life is an insanely satisfying feeling. Very bullish on what is to come.
In case you missed it, the research I am talking about:
Insane how simple it can be to write a protocol that supports both intents and general message passing with
@union_build
.
Here's a simplified snippet from a transfer protocol that supports both mint and burn AND intent based filling. Requires just 3 extra lines.
What a week it was. Co-working with
@0xkaiserkarel
@corcoder
@0xbonlulu
is like flying on a plane while building it. Absolute chad levels of execution power and design thinking.
I just contributed to the
@union_build
Trusted Setup Ceremony, to secure its ZK circuit for trustless, decentralized interoperability.
I attest to my contribution. My public key hash is:
#JoinTheUnion
In case you missed it, an interesting article in
@cryptonews
. In which
@0xkaiserkarel
discusses Ethereum's potential shift to single-slot finality, leveraging ZK technology to slash transaction confirmation times from 15 minutes to under 15 seconds. Some highlights:
1)
⚡️ Karel Kubat explains that single-slot finality with ZK-technology brings a significant performance shift by reducing Ethereum’s latency.
#Ethereum
#ZK
.
@0xkaiserkarel
on
@union_build
's vision:
"Really what we want is kind of the world that we have now with cloud computing. Where I can create a server and within a second I’m connected to the wider internet.
Not like in the 90s where you buy a server and you wait a week, they
🎙 BlockHunters Voices Episode 3
In this episode, we're excited to chat with
@0xkaiserkarel
, Co-Founder of Union Labs!
Discover Karel’s journey before
@union_build
and learn how Union Labs is revolutionizing appchains and interoperability.
We’ll dive into the latest updates
Got a real-life
@union_build
crash course by
@corcoder
today. I knew these guys were solid. But absolutely blown away by what I have seen. 🤯 Amazing stuff!🔥
Zklm all. IBC light client updates are very similar to rollup settlements. This means that with some tweaks,
@union_build
can be a highly efficient settlement layer. Yesterday we published our research article on this 👇
After talking with various teams on settlement and rollup clusters, we decided to do some extended writing on how to leverage
@union_build
for unified settlement on whatever ecosystem you want. Read our full article on Unifying Settlement here:
In short:
We got
@0xkaiserkarel
to explain ZK proofs, IBC, Sequencers, Relayers, Intents, and (obv) Union to me like I'm a five-year-old. And so much more.
Highly recommend watching this for upcoming
@union_build
alpha as well as an incredible technical overview of some of the most
From a major Dutch bank and a small-time validator, to working on the best protocol in interoperability...
With extensive experience in TradFi and fintech,
@0x_Robbie
has joined the team!
I hereby solemnly pledge my allegiance to the Union. For it is not my intention to be a hunter of whale sharks for the sake of personal gains. Instead, it is my deepest desire to join your spotted ranks. To swim along side you in the vast digital seas. And to slowly... but
I hereby solemnly pledge my allegiance to the Union. For it is not my intention to be a hunter of whale sharks for the sake of personal gains. Instead, it is my deepest desire to join your spotted ranks. To swim along side you in the vast digital seas. And to slowly... but
State lenses, designed to extract state roots of specific chains from the state root of Union, on Union connected chains, will use a double-storage proof to retrieve a chain's state. This makes it seem as if two arbitrary, unconnected chains with only shared intermediaries are
So we decided to haze
@0x_Robbie
by sending him to the European Blockchain Convention instead of token.
Shoot me a DM if you're heading there and keen to be shilled relentlessly on why the Union is the end stage of horizontal scalability.
There is so much more to say about
@union_build
. But I will cover that in future threads.
✅ Have a look for yourself and try out Union's testnet here:
👷♂️ Make sure to follow this team of amazing builders.
🔥 And I hope you got as excited as I am about
Users currently experience long wait times for cross-chain interactions due to slow finalization of L2s. This is particularly true for optimistic L2s, which are known for their slow finalization time, because of fraud proofs.
@union_build
has to wait for finalization, to protect
1. For users, intents bridging is appealing because they get to experience near-instantaneous order fulfillment.
2. For solvers, it's attractive because new business opportunities are unlocked.
3. For
@union_build
, this provides a better UX for end users, while at the same time
Another exciting opportunity is the enablement of intent-based filling of orders (intents bridging). By implementing state lenses, market makers, rather than smart contracts, can fulfill transfers. Leading to faster transfer times and the ability to transfer foreign assets.
How do state lenses overcome the limitations of PFM?
State lenses eliminate the need for costly re-executions of transfers and underlying data alterations. This is achieved by limiting actions on
@union_build
to light client updates, ensuring the transfer of light client data
The current problem
Transfers are currently relayed through
@union_build
by using Packet-forward middleware (PFM).
Although highly useful, PFM has several limitations:
1) PFM handles transfer packets only, which means relaying other types of data requires basically
Old but good thread on 'why' crypto.
To add. Crypto makes finance accessible to all. Tradfi has an incredible high threshold for new joiners. Crypto shatters these barriers, opening the door for anyone with an internet connection to participate. This shift in financial
To conclude, Intents bridging transforms
@union_build
from being not only a bridging network, into an ecosystem environment for generalized intent based settlement.
Read the entire article here:
I delved into
@union_build
's Trusted Setup Ceremony, discussing the evolution of trusted setups and Union's unique approach. Make sure to check it out 0____0.
Using state lenses, the packet contents are known even when traversing complex, multi-hop routes.
Therefore, state lenses allow third parties to anticipate and execute transfers swiftly, even before the originating chain finalizes them. This expands the fulfillment
As a result, solvers can fulfill user intents almost instantly, providing users a near-instantaneous fulfillment experience instead of the long transfer completion time they are used to.
Plus, it enables the transfer of foreign assets. This opens up a wider range of
However, the existing Union architecture is unable to support intents bridging due to constraints imposed by the Packet Forward Middleware (PFM), as detailed in our state lenses article here:
State lenses fix this.
The
@union_build
R&D team proudly presents its first research article: State lenses.
• A state lens is a conditional light client designed to extract state roots of specific chains from the state root of Union.
• By implementing state lenses it is as if 2 arbitrary,
Builders benefit from this design as well as they can leverage Union’s intents bridging to implement their own intent-based protocols within the Union network, supporting both Union asset transfers and third-party protocols. The only condition is that any attempt to send
"Some might think Union is like a token portal with some ZK sprinkled in. In reality it's the fastest, most modular, integration layer for any ecosystem. It truly does it all, because at its core it's beautifully elegant. We can be the best clearing layer, message passing system,
By this time next year, Union will be more advanced than any other crypto project out there.
I cannot communicate this enough. Some might think Union is like a token portal with some ZK sprinkled in. In reality it's the fastest, most modular, integration layer for any ecosystem.
Explaining an ATM by comparing it to instant coffee/instant mashed potatoes... how far we have come. Imagine what crypto comparisons today will seem silly 50 years from now.
By implementing state lenses, new possibilities in how we handle trust and verification can be explored.
An exciting possibility is the idea of creating a Naysayer Proof for the consensus state that Union has. Even though with state lenses a connected chain still has to trust
IBC light client updates closely resemble rollup settlement. While the implementation details of the IBC light client update and rollup settlement functions differ, the core operations remain the same.
This means that
@union_build
is capable of performing the function of a
Babe, early gas numbers for Union are in, and it looks frigging beautiful.
Will drop a research article on this, but TLDR:
Union works at tiny scales, and only scales better and better as we process more transfers.
The 1 bucket here is a bit degenerate in cost, the same as an
2/ Current Bitcoin bridges rely on centralized entities, introducing security risks. This deters user participation as bridges fail to live up to Bitcoin's “not your keys, not your coins” ethos.
With Union and Native, no such tradeoff is necessary.
@0xkaiserkarel
@union_build
💯 People really underestimate the network effect - It's not just about the tech. All the cogs in the machine must be working together. Execution is the key to succes.
We've just launched v0 of
@union_build
's packet explorer!
This allows devs that make use of Union's message passing capabilities to analyse the raw data going over IBC channels. (1/3)
WEB3 DEVS ↓
Announcing the Union Fellowship Program: a 4-week hands-on program designed for top developers to gain experience building on Union.
Learn from Union engineers, network with other builders, and join us at Cosmoverse 2024.
Apply by Sept 12:
The flexibility of Union’s architecture allows for extending the light clients’ capabilities. By incorporating execution proofs, such as used in
@Scroll_ZKP
and other ZK rollups; or by adding fraud-proof logic to support optimistic rollups, Union light clients can be upgraded to
If we continue on the same trajectory of new chain launches, we'll be at several thousand by this time next year.
Chain abstraction and interop standards have never been more important.
Builders choosing Union benefit from:
1) Fast finality
2) On-ramp from any ecosystem
3) Free settlement on Ethereum,
@berachain
, or other major ecosystems using Union’s state lenses
Keeping track of a blockchain state is a tedious job in itself. People invented many things to make sure we can trust that person A has indeed a certain amount of a coin.
Synchronizing state across two separate state machines without having to trust a third party like a Bank (or
By extending Union’s light clients to accommodate both ZK rollups and optimistic rollups,
@union_build
further solidifies its role as a, de facto, highly efficient settlement layer.
For example, with the light client extension, Union enables ZK rollups to settle every second,
Part 1. The Problem statement
Ever since I started tinkering around with crypto (early 2017), moving assets around was an issue. Even back then, we were experimenting with novel execution environments, although not modular at all. Ethereum just started, Binance just launched and
To make
@union_build
a flexible, yet robust settlement layer for rollups, three key areas need addressing:
1) Permissionless light client code uploads
2) Adjusting IBC Client Misbehaviour for rollups
3) Incorporating additional Data Availability services
This means
@union_build
as a network is super scalable and very cheap to run. It also makes the network extremely fast. On top of that, anyone can upload a light client contract and join the Union network. There is no pre-approval from Union needed! Because of this, Union can
Bridging would allow to make connections between all these different type of ecosystems. Sounded great, only the tech was not there.
A few years later I finally used a "bridge" for the first time. On Binance. A centralized exchange. And this is the problem.
The week has been 🟢 😘 and now it's time to cover the things to catch up on this past week
1.
@LayerZero_Fndn
reallocates unclaimed $ZRO tokens to qualified wallets with transactions post-TGE
2. Interesting discussion on cross-chain RFQ (Intents) and censorship resistance
Union (
@union_build
) is leading the way in real-world web3 applications with ZK-powered interoperability, overcoming the limitations of existing L1s and enabling true multi-blockchain ecosystems.
Here’s a look at how they’re doing it ↓
2) Having not 1 centralized party, but a few parties that hold the state of Blockchain A and the state of Blockchain B.
A bridge transaction can only be executed if there is consensus among these parties. Essentially, this approach relies on the good faith of multiple parties.
Part 3. The amazement
When I hear this kind of information, my initial feeling is to "first see, then believe". I mean, it all sounds nice on paper. But everyone knows reality is always way more sturdy.
Approach 1 (Trust me bro) is fast and cheap, but you give up security and control. You just hope that the entity you trust your funds to does not run away with it.
Approach 2 (Trust us bro) is still fast, a bit less cheap and although you have reduced exposure on one party, you