Written by: Nosleepjon
Compiled by: TechFlow
In this article, the author will detail how Hyperlane's permissionless interoperability solution works with Strangelove Labs to advance the development of Cosmos-based blockchains. The article will analyze the specific impact of this collaboration on the Cosmos ecosystem, especially how it enhances permissionless interoperability between Cosmos chains and non-IBC-enabled chains.
Strangelove is a major contributor to the growing Cosmos ecosystem. The project focuses on Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) and other key Cosmos infrastructure to advance the Interchain.
What does this mean for Cosmos?
Permissionless interoperability between Cosmos chains and non-IBC enabled chains, especially upcoming modular Rollups (such as the Celestia ecosystem);
Cosmos SDK chains can integrate Hyperlane modules as easily as using IBC;
Expand the potential user base and impact of the Cosmos ecosystem.
"Hyperlane’s vision to become the first universal permissionless interoperability layer built for modular blockchain stacks aligns perfectly with Strangelove’s mission to advance IBC within the Cosmos ecosystem and beyond." — Jack Zampolin, CEO of Strangelove.
Cosmos already has IBC, why does it need Hyperlane?
IBC pioneers inter-blockchain interoperability, enabling Cosmos SDK chains to easily connect together by integrating pre-built IBC modules. IBC has been a notable success, with the entire Cosmos ecosystem benefiting from its connectivity.
However, Cosmos is relatively isolated from external blockchain ecosystems such as Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, etc. This means that Cosmos misses out on many users and liquidity. We need to connect Cosmos to these external users and attract them to join, but there are some obstacles:
IBC is currently limited to Cosmos
IBC works great for connecting Cosmos chains, but we also need to connect Cosmos to external chains. One of the tradeoffs is that IBC interoperability is really limited to Tendermint/Cosmos SDK chains. Therefore, we need an alternative interoperability solution to connect external chains.
Interoperability alternatives licensed
Other permissioned interoperability solutions do not have the same permissionless/out-of-the-box deployment capabilities as IBC. You need to lobby them and their validators to support your chain. This is not ideal for a smaller Cosmos chain with no influence.
Requires permissioned interoperability, not scalable in a modular future
As we move towards a modular blockchain future, permissioned interoperability providers will not be able to scale and deploy on every new modular chain. You need to be able to automatically deploy interoperability at launch, otherwise you will hinder the growth of new chains. The political and time costs of lobbying permissioned interoperability teams are not feasible for smaller teams. Modular stacks require permissionless interoperability to scale.
Hyperlane is the ideal complement to IBC
Hyperlane was built with a lot of the Cosmos vision in mind. They believe modular blockchains are the future and permissionless deployments are the only way to interoperate with them. With this integration, Hyperlane is extending the vision of IBC beyond Cosmos. Connect Cosmos everywhere.
Via Hyperlane:
Enable interoperability between Cosmos/IBC chains and non-IBC chains, opening Cosmos to more users;
Seamlessly connect to the new modular Rollup ecosystem and Rollup-as-a-service providers;
Permissionless, out-of-the-box integration. No lobbying or politics required;
Extend Cosmos assets and applications to external chains (and vice versa).
Hyperlane and IBC in action
The first expected integration is Noble, the Cosmos chain for native asset issuance (such as bringing native USDC to Cosmos). Through the existing IBC integration, Noble is already able to serve as Cosmos' asset issuance hub. But it is still limited to Cosmos and cannot connect to new chains outside of Cosmos without permission.
Through the upcoming Hyperlane Cosmos module integration, Noble will be able to connect directly to external chains. If you are not satisfied with the current Hyperlane-supported chain, Noble's developers can deploy Hyperlane to a new chain without permission and expand Noble's influence. This will become an asset issuance center without restrictions.
Hyperlane will unseal Cosmos chains so that they are no longer just “Cosmos” chains.
