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  1. Concepts

IBC Relayers

PreviousGas and FeesNextKey Management

Last updated 11 days ago

Relayers facilitate cross-chain communication by transmitting packets of data between independent blockchains, functioning like a decentralized postal service. They enable seamless interoperability through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, allowing sovereign blockchains to exchange messages and transfer value, including tokens. IBC relayers are specialized software programs that handle this process, ensuring secure and efficient communication between blockchain networks that support IBC.

TAO-IBC

Relayers play a crucial role in facilitating cross-chain communication by establishing clients, connections, and channels between blockchains. The Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol operates across two layers:

  • TAO Layer – The core functionality of IBC, enabling blockchains to exchange packets of information through dedicated channels. It relies on smart contract modules with light clients that verify the validity of state updates from other chains.

  • APP Layer – Built on top of TAO, allowing the development of application-specific protocols that leverage IBC for seamless interoperability.

IBC is currently enabled on 54 networks, processing over 60 million transactions per month. Relayers are essential to maintaining the integrity and efficiency of this system, as they can handle high transaction volumes. However, network congestion can still occur, making infrastructure scaling an ongoing priority. Users can contribute to the stability of IBC by delegating tokens to validators that also operate relayers, helping to enhance network resilience and performance.

Most relayers also operate validator nodes on one or more Cosmos ecosystem blockchains. The more support these relayers receive as validators, the more likely they will be encouraged to continue operating at a loss on their relayer nodes. Additionally, the knowledge that relayers are valued in such a way should encourage even more validators to set up relayer infrastructure of their own.