Astar Network is building the future multichain smart contract hub with the support of Celer Network, the leading blockchain interoperability protocol secured by its unique State Guardian Network (SGN).

Recently, Celer Network announced the integration of the Celer Inter-chain Message (Celer IM) Framework into Astar and Shiden ecosystems. In this article, we will explain what Celer IM is and how Celer IM can empower our ecosystem developers and projects to build cross-chain connected smart contracts and dApps.

An introduction to Celer IM

Celer Network is one of the leading blockchain interoperability protocols with its State Guardian Network, a Tendermint-based PoS blockchain built to realize seamless multi-blockchain interoperability. And Celer IM is the inter-chain messaging framework secured by Celer’s SGN with its unique flexible security model and high-level reliability.

Celer IM is a hybrid framework mainly composed of 4 major parts:

• State Guardian Network (SGN): a PoS blockchain built using Cosmos SDK with an independent set of validators who stake $CELR to secure the blockchain, and validate and sign cross-chain messages.
• Message Bus contract: a set of smart contracts deployed on different blockchains integrated with Celer IM for sending and receiving cross-chain messages.
• Executor: send the cross-chain messages verified and signed by SGN validators to the destination blockchain’s message bus contract as a relayer.
• Independent watchtower (optional): if dApps choose an optimistic-rollup-like security model for inter-chain messaging, an independent watchtower can double-validate the cross-chain message signed by SGN validators and prevent any malicious behavior during the mandatory buffer delay.

With Celer IM, Astar developers can send messages or invoke smart contract functions on other major L1s (like Ethereum or BNB chain). First, they send the intention as a message to the Celer IM Message Bus smart contract on Astar Network (that contract address is found here).

Then the validator, called the State Guardian Network, will first reach a consensus on the existence of this message and, concurrently, generate a stake-weighed multi-signature attestation. Subscribed executors then relay that attestation to the Message Bus contract of the destination chain.

On the destination chain, the Message Bus contract will check the message’s validity and trigger the corresponding logic associated with the message immediately or after a buffer delay based on the security model chosen by the dApp developer.

Celer IM empowers Astar developers with more cross-chain use cases

By using Celer’s Inter-chain Message Framework, Astar developers will have the option to build inter-chain native dApps which can leverage diverse multi-blockchain ecosystems. With the simplicity of a single-transaction UX and without complicated manual interactions involving multiple 3rd-party bridges.

Some interesting use cases:

• Cross-chain DEXs that allow users to swap Astar assets across multiple blockchains and utilize the liquidity pools on Ethereum, BNB chain, etc. to minimize slippage.
• Yield aggregators that allow users to manage vaults on Ethereum, Fantom, Avalanche, etc. from Astar Network
• Lending protocols where users can use their portfolios on Ethereum or BNB chain to borrow Polkadot-native assets on Astar Network
• Metaverse games where users can utilize their NFTs on other L1s

Astar as a platform for inter-chain native dApps

The end goal of Astar Network is to build the multichain smart contract hub that removes the limits for developers in the coming multichain era. Creating the space for developers to build and realize their visions freely, using the programming languages and development tools you are familiar with, supported by XVM.

In Astar Network, Cross-chain Virtual Machine (XVM) allows developers to build dApps with different virtual machines, including the two major smart contract engines of today, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and WebAssembly (WASM). Multiple blockchains will co-exist in the coming Web3 era. Each will have a different focus. And as a smart contract hub supporting multiple virtual machines, Astar Network will be the ideal platform for developers to deploy inter-chain native dApps to interact with other L1s with various smart contract engines.

Besides XVM, as one of the leading parachains in the Polkadot ecosystem, Astar Network is featured with Polkadot’s unique Cross-chain Message-passing Protocol (XCMP). Our dApps can communicate and transfer assets natively and trustlessly by leveraging Cross-Consensus Message Format (XCM).

So what does all this mean? It means we can build a stellar dApp with these three tools — XVM, XCM, and Celer IM. It means our future DEXs will swap any parachain asset directly to any EVM asset. Imagine trading your CRV tokens on Polygon for iBTC on Interlay with one click on ArthSwap.

With our unique XCM, Polkadot’s XCMP, and 3rd-party cross-chain messaging protocols, including Celer IM, Astar will realize our multichain smart contract hub vision and become the go-to platform for Web3 devs to build multichain native, blockchain-agnostic dApps.

About Celer Network

Celer is a blockchain interoperability protocol enabling a one-click user experience accessing tokens, DeFi, GameFi, NFTs, governance, privacy solutions and more across multiple chains. Developers can build inter-chain-native dApps using the Celer Inter-chain Message SDK to gain access to efficient liquidity utilization, coherent application logic, and shared states. Users of Celer-enabled dApps will enjoy the benefits of a diverse multi-blockchain ecosystem with the simplicity of a single-transaction UX, all from a single chain.

Follow Celer Network:

Website | Telegram | Twitter | Github | Discord

About Astar

Astar Network — The Future of Smart Contracts for Multichain.

Astar Network supports the building of dApps with EVM and WASM smart contracts and offers developers true interoperability, with cross-consensus messaging (XCM). Astar’s unique Build2Earn model empowers developers to get paid through a dApp staking mechanism for the code they write and dApps they build.

Astar’s vibrant ecosystem has become Polkadot’s leading Parachain globally, supported by all major exchanges and tier 1 VCs. Astar offers the flexibility of all Ethereum and WASM toolings for developers to start building their dApps. To accelerate growth on Polkadot and Kusama Networks, Astar SpaceLabs offers an Incubation Hub for top TVL dApps.

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | GitHub | Reddit

Build the Next Generation of Multichain Native DApps on Astar with Celer IM was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Throughout the history of blockchains, interoperability and multi-chain applications are considered the holy grails of Web 3.0. With the Polkadot ecosystem of parachains and cross-consensus messaging (XCM), not only do we have multi-chain assets, but we can also leverage functional interoperability. At Astar Network, we believe that this is the key to creating the next generation of innovative dApps and further progressing Web3.0. By opening the latest HRMP channels with Phala Network we created a new chapter in our mission.

SubBridge and Phat Contracts

The new HRMP channels between Astar and Phala will enable cross-parachain routing and support transferring Astar’s ecosystem assets to Ethereum via Phala SubBridge. Phala token holders can use their PHA across the Astar DeFi ecosystem, putting their assets to work on our dApps; such as ArthSwap, AstridDAO, and Starlay. The PHA token from the Khala ecosystem is also transferrable to the Shiden, meaning it’s ready to be used with our WASM ecosystem dApps.

We now have integrations with Phala’s flagship product: SubBridge. It’s the first cross-chain router in the Substrate ecosystem, based on the “XCM + ChainBridge cross-chain protocol” to realize cross-chain transmission of assets and information, bridging parachains with EVM and other chains. A deep dive into the power of SubBridge can be read here. Our developers can begin to leverage Phala’s cross-chain protocol to create dApps that are composed of new valuable assets from across the blockchain space.

Once Phat Contract launches (planned for Q4 2022), Astar developers will be able to interact with Phat contracts on Phala Network and leverage their HTTP request capability directly from Astar smart contracts via XCM and Khala’s Secure Enclave nodes. By bringing interoperability between our on-chain contracts and Phala’s off-chain Phat contracts, developers can build various use cases by combining our two networks.

Astar XCM vision

Astar CTO, Hoon Kim, wrote an extended view about our vision for XCM. To understand Astar’s road to being the innovation hub on Polkadot reading our vision is a great start. Check it out: part I, part II, and part III.

Imagine if there is a utility smart contract that is dedicated to sending XCM calls for specific extrinsics on a parachain deployed on Astar Network, and all developers have to do is load from that contract to fully utilize what the parachain can offer to their dApp. With the right tools, the right mind, and progress from the ecosystem, we believe that this will be the future of dApps in a heterogeneous network of blockchains. Hoon Kim, CTO at Astar.

About Phala Network

Phala Network tackles the issue of trust in the computation cloud. By organizing a decentralized network of computation nodes around the world, it offers high-performance services without relying on any cloud vendor. Phala workers run the programs in Secure Enclaves, a privacy technology already embedded into modern processors, enabling versatile and confidential execution. Together, this creates the infrastructure for a powerful, secure, and scalable trustless computing cloud.

About Astar

Astar Network — The Future of Smart Contracts for Multichain.

Astar Network supports the building of dApps with EVM and WASM smart contracts and offers developers true interoperability, with cross-consensus messaging (XCM). Astar’s unique Build2Earn model empowers developers to get paid through a dApp staking mechanism for the code they write and dApps they build.

Astar’s vibrant ecosystem has become Polkadot’s leading Parachain globally, supported by all major exchanges and tier 1 VCs. Astar offers the flexibility of all Ethereum and WASM toolings for developers to start building their dApps. To accelerate growth on Polkadot and Kusama Networks, Astar SpaceLabs offers an Incubation Hub for top TVL dApps.

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | GitHub | Reddit

New HRMP Channels Have Opened Between Phala Network and Astar Network was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Throughout the history of blockchains, interoperability and multi-chain applications are considered the holy grails of Web 3.0. With the Polkadot ecosystem of parachains and cross-consensus messaging (XCM), not only do we have multi-chain assets, but we can also leverage functional interoperability. At Astar Network, we believe that this is the key to creating the next generation of innovative dApps and further progressing Web3.0. By opening the latest HRMP channel with Interlay we created a new chapter in our mission.

Interlay is a decentralized network that is dedicated to connecting crypto-currencies to DeFi platforms, for example, bringing Bitcoin to Polkadot and Ethereum ecosystems. Interlay’s flagship product, interBTC, brings Bitcoin to any blockchain. It is a 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset, fully collateralized, interoperable, and censorship-resistant.

By opening the HRMP channels between Interlay and Astar Network interBTC, the 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset, will be able to enter the Astar DeFi ecosystem in a trustless and secure way. Users will be able to utilize the BTC-pegged asset without worrying about bridging risks, and developers will be able to build DeFi protocols with the power of interBTC.

HRMP channels between Kintsugi and Shiden canary networks have also been opened. KNT and kBTC are now available on Shiden.

Astar XCM vision

Astar CTO, Hoon Kim, wrote an extended view about our vision for XCM. To understand Astar’s road to be the innovation hub on Polkadot reading our vision is a great start. Check it out: part I, part II, and part III.

Imagine if there is a utility smart contract that is dedicated to sending XCM calls for specific extrinsics on a parachain deployed on Astar Network, and all developers have to do is load from that contract to fully utilize what the parachain can offer to their dApp. With the right tools, the right mind, and progress from the ecosystem, we believe that this will be the future of dApps in a heterogeneous network of blockchains. Hoon Kim, CTO at Astar.

About Interlay

The idea of Interlay is simple: use your Bitcoin on any blockchain. Under the hood, Interlay is a decentralized network for creating cross-chain, asset-backed stablecoins and synthetics. interBTC (iBTC), Interlay’s flagship product, is Bitcoin on any blockchain. A 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset, fully collateralized, interoperable, and censorship-resistant. Interlay is hosted as a Polkadot parachain and will be connected to Cosmos, Ethereum and other major DeFi networks.

About Astar

Astar Network — The Future of Smart Contracts for Multichain.

Astar Network supports the building of dApps with EVM and WASM smart contracts and offers developers true interoperability, with cross-consensus messaging (XCM). We are made by developers and for developers. Astar’s unique Build2Earn model empowers developers to get paid through a dApp staking mechanism for the code they write and dApps they build.

Astar’s vibrant ecosystem has become Polkadot’s leading Parachain globally, supported by all major exchanges and tier 1 VCs. Astar offers the flexibility of all Ethereum and WASM toolings for developers to start building their dApps. To accelerate growth on Polkadot and Kusama Networks, Astar SpaceLabs offers an Incubation Hub for top TVL dApps.

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | GitHub | Reddit

New HRMP Channels Have Opened Between Interlay and Astar Network was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Astar Network Smart Contract HUB for WASM + EVM on Polkadot is excited to announce the launch of Astar Incubation Program to support promising projects in the Astar Network and Shiden ecosystems.

Leading venture capitals firms in the blockchain space including Alameda Research, Fenbushi Capital, Digital Finance Group, LongHash Ventures, gumi Crypto Capital, TRGC, and Next Web Capital are joining the Astar Incubation Program as partners to support the incubated projects.

With the focus on bootstrapping the Astar ecosystem, the Season 1 of the Astar Incubation Program will nurture potential and promising entrepreneurs and projects in emerging sectors including DeFi, NFTs, GameFi, and accelerate the adoption of the network.

“Working closely with the Astar Network team to promote the development of the Astar and Polkadot ecosystems is a very important mission for us at DFG. This incubation program is set to welcome important projects that will have an incredible added value to the growth of Web3, so it is only logical for us to be actively involved and support this effort for the benefit of all around the world.” — James Wo, Founder and CEO of DFG

“Astar Incubation Program will be the premium incubator of the Polkadot ecosystem on Astar Network. We are committed to supporting talented entrepreneurs and promising projects that have the potential to drive Web3 developments and bring value to the Astar ecosystem. We will work together to make Web 3.0 a reality.” — Sota Watanabe, Founder of Astar Network

ArthSwap, the one-stop DeFi platform on Astar, and Starlay, the first Astar-native lending protocol, have been accepted as the first two projects in the Astar Incubation Program.

“As the first One-Stop Defi on Astar Network, ArthSwap team is glad to be selected as the first project of this powerful program, and we hope that Astar ecosystem will continue to grow through this program in the future.” — ArthSwap Team

From January 2022, we will be reviewing applications and accepting projects on a rolling basis for the Astar Incubation Program. Accepted projects will receive marketing support, technical support, advisory, funding, and resources from Astar Network.

What do we provide in the incubation program?

• Hands-on Support. Astar core team will work together with selected projects and support the projects with what they need. Selected projects will have open access to all Astar’s resources, including prominent investors, marketing strategy support, business development and network connections, legal direction, financing, and receive strategic advisory from the Astar Network core team.
• Seed Investment. Accepted projects in the Astar Incubation Program will receive seed funding from our VC partners, providing founders with initial funding and traction so they can focus on growing their projects. The valuation of accepted projects can be up to a maximum of US$ 20M.
• Mentorship. Astar will connect founders to core team members and experienced engineers from our team and in the Web3 space, who have extensive experience in tokenomics design, marketing, development, and startup operations, helping founders to grow quickly.
• Extensive Network. Projects will share our diverse network of ecosystem builders and partners, providing the opportunity to create meaningful connections.

If you are a builder interested in building on top of Astar Network and receiving support from the Astar Incubation Program, please submit the form on the Astar Builders Program page.

About Astar

Astar Network is a Smart Contract HUB for WASM + EVM on Polkadot. Astar is a multi-chain platform that supports blockchains and virtual machines. Polkadot Network is a layer 0 relay chain and Astar Network provides the full utility for WASM and EVM smart contract applications to be built on top of it. Astar Network provides the best solution for developers to build with WASM and EVM smart contracts on a secure and modular blockchain.

Follow us

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Github

Astar Launches the Incubation Program, backed by Alameda Research, Fenbushi, DFG and etc. was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We are delighted to announce a strategic partnership with Patract.

Patract is providing solutions for the development of Parachains and DApps in the WASM smart contract ecosystem of Polkadot. They help the community to design and develop on-chain contract modules and Runtime support, and provide DApp developers with full-stack tools and services support, covering development, testing, debugging, deployment, monitoring, data provider, and front-end development stages.

Plasm Network is a scalable, interoperable, multi-virtual machine smart contract platform on Polkadot, supporting cutting-edge Layer 2 solutions such as Rollups. With our support both to Ethereum Solidity and WebAssembly, existing smart contracts can be deployed directly to the Plasm Network without any changes at the same time. Besides Polkadot, we will connect Plasm Network to other blockchain ecosystems including Ethereum and Cosmos through our multi-chain bridges. We are aiming to build the best smart contract platform and become the dApp hub on Polkadot.

Plasm Network supports WebAssembly-based smart contracts from day 1. Though Ethereum Virtual Machine is an important function in months, we believe that the future is WebAssembly because of its cost efficiency and high performance.

Through this partnership, Plasm will promote Patract’s Redspot tool in our developer community, allowing dApp developers to easily debug and test their WASM smart contracts through Redspot and our testnet Dusty’s development node. In addition, Plasm will expand the contract running sandbox environment Europa provided by Patract to allow developers to directly simulate the interaction with Plasm nodes. Plasm and its developer community will assist Patract to enrich Metis library of smart contracts for Plasm-specific use cases.

Patract will work closely with Plasm in terms of tools and services support as well as building WASM ecosystem. Patract’s API suite, Elara will support Plasm Network so that developers can directly use Elara’s JSON-RPC interface based on HTTPS and WebSocket to access the Plasm network without synchronizing blocks and complex settings. With Elara, it will be quick, easy, and cost-efficient for developers to connect and build dApps on Plasm Network.

About Patract

Patract is providing solutions for the development of Parachains and DApps in the WASM smart contract ecosystem of Polkadot. They help the community to design and develop on-chain contract modules and Runtime support, and provide DApp developers with full-stack tools and services support, covering development, testing, debugging, deployment, monitoring, data provider, and front-end development stages.

Website | Element | Twitter | Github | Discord

About Plasm

Plasm Network is a DApps hub on Polkadot that supports Ethereum and layer 2 solutions like ZK Rollups. Plasm aims to be a multi-chain smart contract platform that will support multiple blockchains and virtual machines like EVM and WASM.

Website| Medium | Twitter | Github| Discord | Telegram

Plasm Network partners with Patract was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We graduated from the UC Berkeley Xcelerator program a couple of months ago. And, today we are thrilled to announce that Plasm Network officially supports and sponsors the program.

UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator is a joint venture hosted by the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology under UC Berkeley College of Engineering, the Berkeley Haas School of Business, and the Blockchain at Berkeley student group. The Xcelerator program is designed to empower top blockchain entrepreneurs and scholars in the ecosystem; selected teams will receive support from Berkeley mentors, researchers, faculty, venture capital firms, and students.

We joined the Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator program as part of the 2020 Spring cohort, selected from more than 140 applicants over the world. And today, Plasm Network is growing rapidly. We have become the first parachain connected to Polkadot’s testnet Rococo V1, and completed the first successful Cross Chain Messaging Passing (XCMP) transaction with Acala. Recently, Plasm Network also enclosed the $2.4 million investment round led by Binance Labs.

As part of the sponsorship, we will be closely connected to the industrial and academic resources in technology and other industries and expand our reach into the university ecosystem. We will join meetups, socials, demonstration days, and university classes to foster and give back to the community. With the collaboration, we will continue to show our presence and expand our developer community and talent network to universities worldwide.

About UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator

UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator is a joint venture hosted by the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology under UC Berkeley College of Engineering, the Berkeley Haas School of Business, and the Blockchain at Berkeley student group. The Xcelerator program is designed to empower top blockchain entrepreneurs and scholars in the ecosystem; selected teams will receive support from Berkeley mentors, researchers, faculty, venture capital firms, and students.

Website | Twitter

About Plasm Network

Plasm Network is a scalable, interoperable, multi-virtual machine smart contract platform on Polkadot, supporting cutting-edge Layer 2 solutions such as Rollups. We are aiming to build the best smart contract platform so that DApp developers can build on Polkadot without paying too much attention to the infrastructure. With support both to Ethereum Solidity and the Parity ink!, existing smart contracts can be deployed directly to the Plasm Network without any changes at the same time.

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Discord | GitHub

Plasm Network officially sponsors UC Berkeley Xcelerator Program was originally published in Astar Network on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.