Cross-Chain Bridge

A cross-chain bridge is infrastructure that moves tokens or messages between two separate blockchains, which otherwise cannot see each other. Typically the bridge locks or burns an asset on the source chain and mints a wrapped representation on the destination chain; reversing the process releases the original. Some bridges are run by a custodian or a small validator set, others use light clients and cryptographic proofs. Bridges have historically been one of the most attacked parts of crypto infrastructure, because a single flaw in the contract or a compromise of the signing keys can drain everything locked inside. Before bridging, check who secures the bridge, whether it has been audited, and what the wrapped token actually represents.