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Chains

Each blockchain network is identified by a unique chain number in the Metalayer protocol. This chain identifier is used when specifying the destination chain for cross-chain messages.

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Cross-Chain Operations

Metalayer Messaging supports two types of cross-chain operations:

  • Writes: Send messages and execute functions across chains
  • Reads: Query data from contracts on other chains

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Message Components

  • Destination Domain: The target blockchain network
  • Recipient Address: The contract address that will receive the message
  • Read Operations: Optional queries to execute on other chains
  • Write Call Data: The function call to execute on the destination chain
  • Finality Flag: Whether to wait for source chain finality before relay

See Contract Inferfaces for full specification.

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Gas Abstraction

Metalayer handles cross-chain gas payments, allowing developers to pay for destination chain execution using the source chain’s native token.

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System Architecture

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Component Architecture

The diagram below shows the main components of the Metalayer system and how they interact:

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Message Flow

The sequence diagram below illustrates the step-by-step process of sending a cross-chain message: