ZetaChain Gateway: The Unified Gateway to the Decentralized World

Gateway simplifies the development experience of cross-chain universal applications and enables native operations on blockchain networks including Bitcoin.

Developers can now build universal applications on ZetaChain that can perform native operations on any blockchain network, including Bitcoin. These applications can seamlessly handle contract calls, messages, and token transfers across chains, enabling a new level of interoperability within the crypto ecosystem.

Key Highlights:

Build Universal Applications to Reach Users Everywhere: Unlike conventional smart contracts that are limited to a single blockchain, universal applications on ZetaChain EVM can perform cross-chain operations on any connected blockchain network. They can handle contract calls, messages, and token transfers from any chain, and can even initiate corresponding operations on those chains. This capability allows developers to orchestrate complex multi-step transactions across different chains, which can be triggered by a single user action without having to switch between multiple interfaces or deal with different blockchain protocols. The ZetaChain platform provides developers with the tools to automate these cross-chain interactions, allowing them to focus on the core functional development of the application and provide end users with an on-chain abstract operation experience that is close to "one-stop execution of all operations".

Gateway Unifies Developer and User Experience: The Gateway upgrade introduces a unified cross-chain interface - a single universal entry point for developers and users to interact with universal applications on any blockchain. Here's how Gateway benefits each group:

Developers Get a Simplified, Extensible Framework: Gateway provides a unified API interface that abstracts away the complexities of each blockchain network's characteristics and protocol details. Each blockchain network has a designated Gateway contract or equivalent entity (such as the Gateway program on Solana or the address on Bitcoin) that provides a standardized method for depositing tokens and interacting with general applications. With Gateway, on-chain interactions are as easy as pressing a button. For example, a single user transaction can trigger a universal application on ZetaChain to help it exchange BNB for ETH and then purchase NFTs on Ethereum, all in one step.

Users Enjoy a Unified On-Chain Experience: Gateway enables users to interact across chains in a single transaction without switching networks. From their preferred blockchain network (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum), users can access universal applications without connecting multiple wallets or using cross-chain bridges. This seamless integration effectively reduces cross-chain fees, enhances operational security, and provides a unified experience on all supported chains.

Gateway Enhances Cross-Chain Infrastructure on ZetaChain: Previously, developers needed to manage independent TSS addresses, ERC-20 escrow contracts, and connector contracts to achieve cross-chain functionality; now, Gateway unifies these components into a single powerful API interface, providing a clear and consistent approach for calls, deposits, and asset management. This unified approach not only simplifies the development process, but also improves the reliability of cross-chain transactions. In addition, the Gateway interface deployed on ZetaChain can be mirrored on other EVM-compatible chains, providing a unified development and user experience on multiple blockchain platforms.

Gateway Allows Universal Applications to Manage Global Assets: With Gateway, general-purpose applications can now implement complex interactions with connected smart contracts and assets on external blockchain networks on behalf of users. Gateway achieves this goal by extending general-purpose smart contracts through "withdrawAndCall", an extension of ZRC-20 's withdrawal function. Developers can initiate contract call operations without asset transfer or data load, and enjoy benefits such as built-in rollback support.

Users can now seamlessly access and interact with multiple on-chain applications. In other words, Gateway enables an application to aggregate and optimize cross-chain operations on behalf of end users by interacting with dApps only once on ZetaChain. Applications using Gateway can help users without switching networks or signing additional transactions.

Gateway Establishes New Standards for Chain Abstraction: The Gateway upgrade enables a new common standard for chain abstraction, including:

Universal NFT: The universal NFT standard on ZetaChain allows developers to create ERC-721 NFTs that run smoothly on multiple blockchain networks. The standard simplifies the cross-chain interaction process, enabling users and developers to directly access and transfer NFTs on supported chains.

Projects built with universal NFTs include: Web3 gaming projects Eureka and Moddio - Eureka, a social game built on the web, allows players to extract in-game assets such as gold currency, ships, survival items, and other supplies by minting tradable NFTs on any chain. Similarly, virtual world creation project Moddio will provide universal NFT functionality support for developers building on its platform. See the YouTube video for a general NFT creation tutorial.

Universal Token Standard: The universal token standard will provide a more flexible and permissionless alternative to the ZRC-20 mechanism for creating tokens that can be seamlessly transferred across chains.

Specifically, the ZRC-20 mechanism relies on a “lock-release model” that requires assets to be whitelisted in the protocol before they can be used across chains. This is significant for native, mature assets like BTC, as it allows users to introduce them into the multi-asset ZetaChain environment.

In contrast, the Universal Token Standard allows developers to define their own token logic (such as minting, destruction, transfer)