bridge architecture
The x/bridge module connects QoreChain to the broader blockchain ecosystem through 25 cross-chain connections: 8 IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) channels and 17 QCB (QoreChain Bridge) endpoints. Every bridge operation is secured by post-quantum cryptography.
Connection Overview
QoreChain supports two bridge protocols operating in parallel:
IBC
8 channels
Standard IBC + PQC packet signatures
QoreChain SDK-compatible chains
QCB
17 endpoints
7-of-10 Dilithium-5 multisig
Non-IBC chains (EVM, Solana, TON, etc.)
Total: 25 active bridge connections across 12 distinct chain types.
IBC Channels
QoreChain maintains IBC connections to the following chains, relayed via Hermes v1.x:
Cosmos Hub
Primary hub connection
Osmosis
DEX liquidity routing
Noble
USDC native issuance
Celestia
Data availability layer
Stride
Liquid staking
Akash
Decentralized compute
Babylon
BTC restaking protocol
Loopback
Internal testing channel
IBC Relayer Configuration
Relayer software: Hermes v1.x
Client updates: Automatic light client refresh
Misbehaviour detection: Enabled -- relayer monitors for equivocation
Packet clearing: Every 100 blocks, pending IBC packets are cleared
PQC enhancement: Every IBC packet originating from QoreChain includes an optional Dilithium-5 signature for forward quantum security. PQC-aware receiving chains can verify this signature alongside standard IBC verification.
QCB (QoreChain Bridge) Protocol
The QCB protocol uses a hub-and-spoke architecture secured by post-quantum cryptography. QoreChain acts as the hub, with spoke connections to each external chain.
Supported Chain Types
evm
Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base
0x + 40 hex characters
solana
Solana
Base58, 32-44 characters
ton
TON
EQ + base64 encoded
sui_move
Sui
0x + 64 hex characters
aptos_move
Aptos
0x + 64 hex characters
bitcoin
Bitcoin
Bech32 (bc1), P2SH (3...), or legacy (1...)
near
NEAR Protocol
.near suffix or implicit
cardano
Cardano
addr1 (payment) or stake1 (staking)
polkadot
Polkadot
SS58 encoded
tezos
Tezos
tz1/tz2/tz3 (implicit) or KT1 (originated)
tron
TRON
T + base58, 34 characters
QCB Chain Connections (17 Endpoints)
Ethereum
EVM
12
ETH, USDC, USDT, WBTC
Solana
Solana
32
SOL, USDC
TON
TON
10
TON, USDT
BNB Smart Chain
EVM
15
BNB, USDC, USDT
Avalanche C-Chain
EVM
12
AVAX, USDC
Polygon PoS
EVM
128
POL, USDC, USDT, WETH
Arbitrum One
EVM
64
ETH, USDC, ARB, USDT
Sui
Sui
3
SUI, USDC
Optimism
EVM
10
ETH, USDC, OP
Base
EVM
10
ETH, USDC
Aptos
Aptos
6
APT, USDC
Bitcoin
Bitcoin
6
BTC
NEAR Protocol
NEAR
3
NEAR, USDC
Cardano
Cardano
15
ADA
Polkadot
Polkadot
12
DOT
Tezos
Tezos
2
XTZ
TRON
TRON
20
TRX, USDT
Deposit Flow (External to QoreChain)
Withdrawal Flow (QoreChain to External)
All bridge fees collected during withdrawals are routed to the x/burn module via the bridge_fee burn channel (100% of bridge fees are burned).
Security Architecture
PQC Multisig
All QCB bridge operations require a 7-of-10 threshold of Dilithium-5 post-quantum signatures from registered bridge validators. Each bridge validator registers with:
A QoreChain validator address
A Dilithium-5 public key (2,592 bytes)
A list of supported chains
A reputation score (maintained by
x/reputation)
Circuit Breakers
Each connected chain has independent circuit breaker protections:
Single transfer limit
Maximum amount for any individual bridge operation per chain
Daily aggregate limit
Total volume cap per chain per 24-hour window
Manual pause
Governance or validator-triggered emergency halt per chain
Anomaly detection
Automatic pause if >50 operations in a short window or volume exceeds 5x daily limit
Circuit breaker state is tracked per chain and includes: max single transfer, daily limit, current daily usage, last reset height, and pause status with reason.
Challenge Period
For large transfers (>100,000 QOR equivalent, configurable via large_transfer_threshold):
A 24-hour challenge period (86,400 seconds) applies after attestation threshold is met.
During this window, any validator can flag the operation.
If unchallenged, the operation executes automatically after the period expires.
Challenged operations are frozen for governance review.
AI Path Optimization
The bridge module integrates with the AI subsystem for route optimization. For transfers that can traverse multiple paths (e.g., chain A to chain B via intermediary), the path optimizer evaluates:
Estimated fees across routes
Estimated completion time
Security score per path
Confidence level of the estimate
REST API Endpoints
GET
/bridge/v1/chains
List all supported chain configurations
GET
/bridge/v1/chains/{chain_id}
Get configuration for a specific chain
GET
/bridge/v1/validators
List all registered bridge validators
GET
/bridge/v1/operations
List all bridge operations (most recent first)
GET
/bridge/v1/operations/{operation_id}
Get details of a specific operation
GET
/bridge/v1/locked/{chain}/{asset}
Get locked/minted amounts for a chain/asset pair
GET
/bridge/v1/circuit-breakers
List all circuit breaker states
GET
/bridge/v1/estimate/{from}/{to}/{asset}/{amount}
Get AI-optimized route estimate
Bridge Events
The bridge module emits the following on-chain events:
bridge_deposit
New deposit operation created
bridge_withdraw
New withdrawal operation created
bridge_attestation
Validator attestation submitted
bridge_operation_executed
Operation finalized and executed
bridge_circuit_breaker_trip
Circuit breaker activated or deactivated
bridge_validator_registered
New bridge validator registered
bridge_pqc_verification
PQC signature verification result (IBC packets)