Bridging Assets
This guide describes how moving assets between QoreChain and other blockchain networks is designed to work. QoreChain's interoperability layer is built around 37 chain configurations (36 external chains plus Injective, reached over IBC) and up to 8 IBC counterparties for Cosmos-ecosystem chains.
The bridge module is deployed on mainnet and testnet, but no bridge route is active: all 37 chain configurations are in pending status with no bridge contract set, no bridge validators are registered, no bridge operation has ever been created, and no IBC channels or clients exist. Everything below describes the intended design. Do not send assets expecting them to be bridged. See Bridge Architecture for the current status table.
The commands below use the qorechain-diana testnet (EVM chain ID 9800). Mainnet (qorechain-vladi, EVM chain ID 9801) runs chain version v3.2.1. Substitute the mainnet chain ID and endpoints from the Connecting to Mainnet page once a route is activated.
Connection Overview
QoreChain is designed to provide two bridging protocols:
| Protocol | Connections | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) | up to 8 channels (none open) | Native interoperability with IBC-enabled chains |
| QCB (QoreChain Bridge) | 37 configurations (all pending) | Cross-chain transfers with non-IBC networks via PQC-secured attestations |
A complete enumeration of every chain configuration lives on the Bridge Architecture page. This guide focuses on how a bridge transfer is designed to work.
IBC
IBC is part of the design (Cosmos Hub, Osmosis, Noble, Celestia, Stride, Akash, Babylon, Injective), but no IBC channel or client exists on either network yet, so there is nothing to transfer over. This page will list channels once they are opened.
QCB Bridge Endpoints
The QoreChain Bridge is designed to connect to external chains spanning multiple ecosystem types. A representative selection of the planned connections (every one is pending today):
| Chain | Chain Type |
|---|---|
| Ethereum | EVM |
| BSC | EVM |
| Solana | Solana |
| Avalanche | EVM |
| Polygon | EVM |
| Arbitrum | EVM |
| TON | TON |
| Sui | Sui Move |
| Optimism | EVM |
| Base | EVM |
| Aptos | Aptos |
| Bitcoin | Bitcoin |
| NEAR | NEAR |
| Cardano | Cardano |
| Polkadot | Polkadot |
| Tezos | Tezos |
| Tron | Tron |
No asset list is published: the chain configurations carry no asset registry yet. See the Bridge Architecture page for the full list of chain configurations.
Deposit Flow (External Chain to QoreChain)
The designed sequence for a deposit from an external chain into QoreChain:
- Lock — Lock tokens on the external chain by sending them to the QCB bridge contract or address.
- Attestation — Bridge validators observe the lock transaction and produce PQC-signed attestations.
- Threshold — Once 7 out of 10 validator attestations are collected, the bridge finalizes the deposit.
- Mint — The equivalent wrapped tokens are minted on QoreChain and credited to your
qor1...address.
There is no user-run "start a deposit" command: you lock on the external chain, and the bridge validators' attestations credit your account. (The chain's qorechaind tx bridge deposit command credits an already-attested deposit and needs bridge-validator signatures; it is not the way a user begins a deposit.)
Withdraw Flow (QoreChain to External Chain)
The designed sequence for a withdrawal from QoreChain to an external chain:
- Burn — Burn the wrapped tokens on QoreChain.
- Attestation — Bridge validators observe the burn and produce PQC-signed attestations.
- Threshold — Once 7 out of 10 attestations are collected, the withdrawal is finalized.
- Unlock — The original tokens are released on the external chain to the specified destination address.
CLI command (blocked today: no chain is active, so the transaction would be refused):
# 1. Build the unsigned transaction
qorechaind tx bridge withdraw [destination-chain] [destination-address] [asset] [amount] \
--from mykey \
--chain-id qorechain-diana \
--gas 300000 --fees 30000uqor \
--generate-only > withdraw.json
# 2. Attach the post-quantum co-signature and broadcast
qorechaind tx pqc cosign withdraw.json --from mykey --pqc-key mypqckey --chain-id qorechain-diana
Every native-lane transaction needs the hybrid post-quantum co-signature and a fee of at least 0.1 uqor per unit of gas; see First Transaction.
Security Model
The QoreChain Bridge is designed to be secured by multiple defense layers:
| Mechanism | Description |
|---|---|
| 7-of-10 PQC Multisig | Every bridge operation requires attestations from at least 7 of 10 bridge validators, each using post-quantum cryptographic signatures. |
| 24-Hour Challenge Period | Transfers above the large-transfer threshold (100,000 QOR) enter a 24-hour challenge window during which validators or watchers can flag fraudulent transactions. |
| Circuit Breakers | Automated rate limiters halt bridge operations if abnormal volume or suspicious patterns are detected. Bridge operations resume after manual review. |
Querying Bridge Status
Read the bridge's state:
qorechaind query bridge config
qorechaind query bridge chains
qorechaind query bridge chain ethereum
qorechaind query bridge validators
qorechaind query bridge operations
qorechaind query bridge operation [id]
The same data is available over REST under /qorechain/bridge/v1/ (see Bridge Architecture).
Tips
- Always verify the destination address format matches the target chain (e.g.,
0x...for EVM chains, base58 for Solana). - Large transfers (above 100,000 QOR) are designed to trigger the 24-hour challenge period automatically.
- Bridge fees are burned through the
bridge_feeburn channel (see Token Operations).