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Hyperlane Protocol

Hyperlane is a permissionless interoperability protocol that enables seamless cross-chain communication for developers. Its unique design allows deployment across various blockchain environments, including layer 1 chains, rollups, and app-chains, without the need for approvals or intermediaries. This permissionless design empowers developers to build cross-chain applications with full control over their operations in a multi-chain ecosystem.

Architecture​

Hyperlane Messaging Flow

Basic Hyperlane cross-chain messaging flow1

Hyperlane's architecture consists of four key components:

  • Mailboxes: Core messaging contracts deployed on each chain that handle message sending/receiving
  • Interchain Security Modules (ISMs): Custom security logic that determines how messages are verified
  • Relayers: Off-chain agents that transport messages between chains
  • Validators: Fulfilling the security layer of the Hyperlane protocol

Fees​

Hyperlane fees are called Interchain Gas Payments and are payed by the message sender to the relayer.

For more info about the Interchain Gas Payments, consult the Hyperlane documentation

Hyperlane CLI​

The Hyperlane CLI is the official command-line tool for deploying and managing Hyperlane infrastructure. It provides a comprehensive set of utilities for:

  • Chain Configuration: Set up and register new chains with the Hyperlane network
  • Core Contract Deployment: Deploy Hyperlane's core contracts (Mailbox, ISM, etc.) to new chains
  • Warp Route Management: Configure and deploy token bridges between chains
  • Message Testing: Send test messages across chains to verify connectivity
  • Registry Management: Interact with chain metadata and contract addresses

The CLI streamlines the process of connecting new chains to the Hyperlane network, making cross-chain communication accessible to developers and chain operators.

Hyperlane Core Deployment​

For guidance on how to deploy the Hyperlane Core on Sapphire, refer to the official deploy documentation.

See also​

Footnotes​

  1. Architecture diagram is courtesy of Hyperlane documentation ↩