[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide:bridging-crypto-between-chains::en":3,"guides-all::en":10},{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"topic":7,"updated_at":8,"body":9},"bridging-crypto-between-chains","Bridging Crypto Between Chains Without Losing It","A bridge is a custody decision dressed up as a transfer. What the three designs actually do with your coin, why bridges are the most attacked component in crypto, and the checks that survive all of them.","wallet-security","2026-08-18T03:30:02+00:00","\u003Cp>Moving an asset from one chain to another feels like sending a transfer, and it is not one. Nothing crosses. A coin issued on one chain stays on that chain, and every bridge is a mechanism for producing something on the other side that stands in for it. What that something is, and who has to stay solvent or honest for it to keep standing in, is the entire question — and it is a custody question, not a networking one.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Three designs, three different things to own\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Lock-and-mint is the most common. Your coin is locked in a contract or with a custodian on the source chain, and a representation is minted for you on the destination chain. What you now hold is a claim, and its value depends on the locked collateral still being there and still being redeemable. Burn-and-mint is used where one issuer controls the asset on both chains: the units are destroyed on one side and reissued on the other, so you hold the genuine asset rather than a wrapper, and your dependency is on the issuer rather than on a locked pool. Liquidity networks do something different again — you sell into a pool on the source chain and someone pays you out of a pool on the destination chain. You end up holding the native asset, but you have executed a trade, which means a price, a spread and \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fglossary\u002Fslippage\">slippage\u003C\u002Fa> rather than a one-to-one transfer.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Read what you received, not what you sent\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>The practical consequence is that the token arriving in your wallet may not be the token you think it is. Popular assets have several wrapped versions from different bridges circulating on the same chain, each with its own contract address, its own redemption path and its own liquidity. They are not interchangeable, and a thin one can trade at a discount to the asset it represents while the underlying does nothing at all. Before you treat a balance as the asset, check the contract address against the issuer's own documentation, and check where it can be redeemed or sold. A wrapped balance nobody wants to buy is a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fglossary\u002Fcustodial-vs-non-custodial\">custodial position\u003C\u002Fa> with extra steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Why bridges get attacked more than anything else\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Bridges concentrate the value of everything that has crossed them into a single contract or a single set of signing keys, which makes them the highest-value target per line of code in the industry. The recurring failure modes are structural rather than exotic: a validator or multisig set small enough to compromise, a flaw in how deposit messages are verified that lets an attacker forge one, and upgradeable contracts whose admin keys are themselves the weak point. Several of the largest thefts on record were bridge failures, and our \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fincidents\">incident record\u003C\u002Fa> shows the same shapes recurring across different years and different chains. This is why bridge choice deserves the scrutiny people normally reserve for exchanges.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>The checks that are worth the minute they cost\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Reach the bridge through the destination chain's own documentation rather than a search result or a message, because bridge front-ends are a favourite target for lookalike domains. Prefer the canonical bridge operated by the chain itself where one exists; it is usually slower and usually the one with the most eyes on it. Send a small test amount first and complete the whole round trip, including whatever claim step the destination requires — many bridges need a second transaction on the far side, and a transfer that appears stuck is often just waiting for it. Make sure you hold the destination chain's \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fglossary\u002Fgas-fee\">gas token\u003C\u002Fa> before you start, because arriving with an asset and no way to pay for a transaction is the most common self-inflicted version of a stuck bridge. And if the route is a swap rather than a mint, set a sensible slippage limit and check the quote against a second source.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>The route that avoids the question\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>For assets listed on both chains, a centralised exchange is often the plainer path: deposit on one network, withdraw on the other, and the venue absorbs the bridging internally. You are trading one counterparty for another rather than eliminating counterparty risk, and it only works while the exchange has that network enabled for deposits and withdrawals, which changes without much notice. But for a large transfer it replaces an unaudited contract with an institution whose custody and incident history is at least documented — our \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fexchanges\">graded reviews\u003C\u002Fa> cover exactly that. It is a different risk, not no risk, and choosing between them deliberately is the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>The bottom line\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Ask three questions before you bridge anything: what will I be holding on the other side, who has to stay solvent or honest for it to remain worth what I sent, and how do I get back. If the answer to the first is a wrapper, the second is the whole trade. Test small, use the canonical route, and keep enough gas on the destination to move once you arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>",[11,16,22,23,27,32,36,40,44,49,53,57,61,65,69,73,77,81,85,89,93,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,125],{"slug":12,"title":13,"excerpt":14,"topic":15,"updated_at":8},"an-etf-share-or-the-coin-itself","An ETF Share or the Coin Itself","Both track the same price and they are not the same asset. What each one actually makes you own, the three-way choice most people mistake for a two-way one, and which risk you are picking up.","market-literacy",{"slug":17,"title":18,"excerpt":19,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"api-keys-and-third-party-trading-tools","API Keys and Third-Party Trading Tools","Bots, trackers and tax tools all ask for exchange API keys. What each permission actually grants, and the one you should almost never hand over.","exchange-safety","2026-08-17T16:27:44+00:00",{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"topic":7,"updated_at":8},{"slug":24,"title":25,"excerpt":26,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"checking-a-crypto-address-before-you-send","How to Check a Crypto Address Before You Send","A crypto transfer cannot be recalled, and the most common way people lose money is sending to an address that was never the one they meant. Here is the check that catches it.",{"slug":28,"title":29,"excerpt":30,"topic":31,"updated_at":21},"crypto-tax-guide","The Crypto Records to Keep Before Tax Time","What you owe is set where you live, and this page does not touch it. What travels between jurisdictions is the record-keeping — and the fact that exchanges are not archives.","tax",{"slug":33,"title":34,"excerpt":35,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"custodial-vs-non-custodial-wallets-explained","Custodial vs Non-Custodial Wallets Explained","The single biggest decision in how you hold crypto: who controls the keys, and what that means for security and responsibility.",{"slug":37,"title":38,"excerpt":39,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"exchange-safety-checklist","How to Evaluate a Crypto Exchange's Safety","Before you deposit a dollar, run any exchange through this checklist — proof-of-reserves, custody model, licensing, and security track record.",{"slug":41,"title":42,"excerpt":43,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"hardware-wallets-explained","Hardware Wallets Explained","What a hardware wallet actually protects you from, what it does not, and how to buy and set one up without undoing the point of owning it.",{"slug":45,"title":46,"excerpt":47,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"how-crypto-withdrawals-work","How Crypto Withdrawals Work","Networks, addresses, confirmations and fees — what actually happens when you withdraw crypto, and the mistakes that make it unrecoverable.","crypto-basics",{"slug":50,"title":51,"excerpt":52,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"how-to-buy-bitcoin","How to Buy Bitcoin for the First Time","The purchase takes ten minutes. What takes longer are the four decisions around it: where the coin will live, which venue may legally sell to you, and what the quote really costs.",{"slug":54,"title":55,"excerpt":56,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"how-to-check-a-token-before-you-buy","How to Check a Token Before You Buy","Six checks you can run yourself on any token, with a block explorer and the contract. None of them require trusting the project's own description.",{"slug":58,"title":59,"excerpt":60,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"how-to-check-an-exchange-licence-claim","How to Check an Exchange Licence Claim","A licence badge in a footer is a claim, not evidence. Four steps to verify it against the register, and what the answer does and does not cover.",{"slug":62,"title":63,"excerpt":64,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"how-to-read-a-crypto-whitepaper","How to Read a Crypto Whitepaper","A whitepaper has no standard, no reviewer and no obligation to stay true. What to read first, what to verify elsewhere, and which sections to skip.",{"slug":66,"title":67,"excerpt":68,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"how-to-spot-a-crypto-scam","How to Spot a Crypto Scam","The patterns behind almost every crypto scam are older than crypto. Learn the five that keep working, and the checks that defuse them.",{"slug":70,"title":71,"excerpt":72,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"how-to-trade-futures","How to Trade Crypto Futures, Starting With the Risk","A perpetual costs you money whether you are right or wrong, and the venue picks the moment your position closes. The numbers to know before the entry, not after it.",{"slug":74,"title":75,"excerpt":76,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"market-cap-and-supply-explained","Market Cap and Supply, Explained","Why a coin's unit price tells you nothing, what market cap actually measures, and the supply figures that quietly change the answer.",{"slug":78,"title":79,"excerpt":80,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"proof-of-reserves-explained","Proof of Reserves Explained","What a proof-of-reserves report actually proves, what it quietly leaves out, and how to read one without mistaking it for a full audit.",{"slug":82,"title":83,"excerpt":84,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"reading-a-block-explorer","How to Read a Block Explorer","A block explorer is the public record every claim about a transaction can be checked against. What the fields mean, and the three things worth verifying yourself.",{"slug":86,"title":87,"excerpt":88,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"seed-phrase-security","How to Store a Seed Phrase Safely","Your recovery phrase is the account. Here is how to back it up so a fire, a flood, a thief or a phishing site cannot take your crypto with it.",{"slug":90,"title":91,"excerpt":92,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"token-approvals-and-how-to-revoke-them","Token Approvals and How to Revoke Them","Most wallet drains are not stolen keys. They are permissions the owner granted once and forgot. Here is what an approval is and how to take it back.",{"slug":94,"title":95,"excerpt":96,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"two-factor-authentication-for-crypto-accounts","Two-Factor Authentication for Crypto Accounts","Not all second factors are equal. Why SMS codes are the weakest option, what a security key does that an app cannot, and what to fix first.",{"slug":98,"title":99,"excerpt":100,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"understanding-crypto-exchange-fees","Understanding Crypto Exchange Fees","Trading fees are the smallest part of what an exchange charges you. Here is where the rest of the cost hides, and how to measure it.",{"slug":102,"title":103,"excerpt":104,"topic":15,"updated_at":21},"what-a-smart-contract-audit-proves","What a Smart Contract Audit Does and Does Not Prove","An audit is a review with a scope and a date, not a guarantee. How to read one, and the four things a badge on a website never tells you.",{"slug":106,"title":107,"excerpt":108,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"what-backs-a-stablecoin","What Actually Backs a Stablecoin","A stablecoin is only as stable as whatever stands behind it. The three designs, what an attestation does and does not prove, and the question that matters most.",{"slug":110,"title":111,"excerpt":112,"topic":20,"updated_at":21},"what-happens-when-a-crypto-exchange-fails","What Happens When a Crypto Exchange Fails","If an exchange freezes withdrawals or files for bankruptcy, what actually happens to your balance — and what you can do before that day.",{"slug":114,"title":115,"excerpt":116,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"what-staking-actually-involves","What Staking Actually Involves","Staking is not a savings account. What you commit, what can reduce it, and the difference between doing it yourself and letting a platform do it.",{"slug":118,"title":119,"excerpt":120,"topic":7,"updated_at":21},"what-to-do-if-your-wallet-is-drained","What to Do If Your Wallet Is Drained","The first hour matters, and instinct gives the wrong advice. What can still be saved, what cannot, and why recovery services make it worse.",{"slug":122,"title":123,"excerpt":124,"topic":20,"updated_at":8},"when-an-exchange-freezes-your-withdrawal","When an Exchange Freezes Your Withdrawal","Most frozen withdrawals are a compliance review, not a collapse. How to tell which one you are in, what shortens a hold, and the signals that mean stop waiting.",{"slug":126,"title":127,"excerpt":128,"topic":48,"updated_at":21},"why-a-transaction-is-stuck","Why a Transaction Is Stuck, and What to Do","A pending transaction has not failed and has not happened. Why fees, ordering and nonces leave transactions waiting, and which fixes are real."]