How Chain Abstraction is Improving DevEx and UX?

Imagine producing countless electric cars without building accessible charging infrastructure. As perplexing as this may sound, it’s the path that Web3 is heading towards with countless decentralized applications (dApps) on multiple chains that result in funds being dispersed across different chains which makes cross-chain dApps difficult to use, resulting in poor user experience (UX). As for developers, the plethora of chains makes it cumbersome to build, deploy, and maintain cross-chain dApps, resulting in a convoluted developer experience (DevEx).

What is Chain Abstraction, and Why Does it Matter?

Chain abstraction improves DevEx and UX by introducing technologies that simplify cross-chain interactions.

Improving DevEx with Chain Abstraction

Chain abstraction aggregates Web3’s multiple complexities such as managing multiple wallets, handling separate gas fees, and navigating intricate transaction routes into a unified framework so that developers can focus on building innovative dApps without the overhead of managing cross-chain interactions.

• Unified Interfaces: Developers can design dApps with interoperable wallets that abstract the nuances of individual chains, ensuring a seamless environment for both coding and testing.
• Standardized SDKs: Standardized SDKs simplify the creation of cross-chain utility models, encouraging experimentation and accelerating innovation in Web3 applications.
• Enhanced Transaction Efficiency: By automating transaction routing to determine the best path for a transaction based on predefined rules, conditions, or algorithms, taking into consideration factors like cost, speed, reliability, liquidity access, and regulatory compliance, developers can deliver faster, more reliable dApps with minimal fuss.

Improving UX with Chain Abstraction

Chain abstraction reduces the steep learning curve traditionally associated with Web3 to lower the barriers to entry for new users 

• Unified Wallets: There are multi-chain wallets that allow users to interact with multiple chains but the problem arises at the infrastructure layer. For instance, you can use Metamask or Trust Wallet for more than 100+ chains, but it lacks cross-chain interaction and liquidity access. The use of chain abstraction at the infrastructure level allows users to interact with multiple blockchains through a single wallet interface, eliminating the need to understand the specific characteristics of individual chains or manage the liquidity of their assets across these chains. 
• Cross-Chain Composability: Interoperable dApps can function across blockchains without reliance on intermediary bridges, providing a more intuitive UX for cross-chain transactions. An example is Particle Network's UniversalX which is a chain-agnostic trading dApp that allows users to send assets to and from any chain and pay for gas fees with tokens from any chain without the need to use bridges.¹
• Expanded Liquidity Access: Chainless aggregators automatically connect users to deep liquidity pools across different chains, enabling more efficient transactions and effective tapping of market opportunities.

The market's recognition of the impact of chain abstraction in transforming DevEx and UX in Web3 is evidenced by the increasing number of chain abstraction solutions that covers the various industry verticals of Web3. 

Industry Approaches to Improving DevEx and UX with Chain Abstraction

Web3 industry players have adopted different approaches to improving DevEx and UX with chain abstraction. Let’s examine the unique approaches of some of the major players.

Arcana’s Network’s Liquidity Aggregation Approach

Arcana Network adopts the liquidity aggregation approach to chain abstraction through its Arcana Vault, a system of smart contracts deployed across multiple chains.² The Arcana Vault integrates liquidity tokens and gas through a competitive network of third party liquidity providers (LPs) to facilitate cross-chain transactions.

Unique Selling Points of Liquidity Aggregation Approach

• Unified Interface: The use of state machine to track and maintain the state of each user account, including monitoring current balances, expenditures, and unrealized collections provides users with a unified balance of their assets across multiple chains.
• Reduced Developer Footprint: Modular L1 architecture lowers developer footprint in building dApps that can operate across chains with minimal adaptation.
• Liquidity Optimization: Network of third-party solvers/LPs optimizes liquidity by competing on fees to meet the liquidity needs for various assets across different vaults on each chain on Arcana Vault.

Particle Network’s Universal Settlement Approach

Particle Network adopts the universal settlement approach to chain abstraction with Universal Accounts (UAs) that allows developers to bundle transactions spanning multiple chains into a single operation, while the Universal Gas feature lets users pay for gas fees using any token.³ 

Unique Selling Points of Universal Settlement Approach

• User-Friendly UX: UAs simplify asset management and cross-chain transactions through a unified interface that uses account abstraction (ERC-4337) to enable users to have only one account and look at one balance for their assets across different chains. Through this unified interface, users can transact without the need for bridges thanks to Universal Liquidity which pulls liquidity from external sources across different chains.
• Cost Reduction and Time Savings: The dispensation of the need to use bridges reduces costs as there is no need to pay bridging fees and saves time as there is no need for bridging transactions.
• Decentralized Consensus: Dual staking system that integrates Tendermint-based Proof-of-Stake (PoS) with Babylon's BTC staking framework creates two independent operator pools. One pool is powered by delegations of Particle Network’s $PARTI tokens while the other is powered by BTC delegations. The requirement for both pools to independently validate transactions warrants decentralized consensus which enhances the security and censorship resistance of Particle Network.

Socket Protocol’s Market Competition Approach

Socket Protocol adopts the market competition approach to chain abstraction through its MOFA framework to create a competitive marketplace where third-party transmitters execute user on-chain intents across multiple chains.⁴

Unique Selling Points of Transactions Aggregation Approach

• Flexible DevEx: Customizable components i.e. customizable verification modules that allow developers to define custom conditions. These conditions are specified by the app-selected Switchboard which acts as an open-source, permissionless configuration bundles that developers can use to authenticate Packets i.e. cryptographic hashes representing thousands of payloads to be sent to another chain. Packet acceptance happens when the payloads meet the conditions specified by the Switchboard after which the payloads would be transferred. Packet rejection happens when the payloads fail to meet the conditions specified by the Switchboard in which case the payloads would not be transferred. By specifying the conditions for packet acceptance or rejection, developers can adapt their dApps to diverse cross-chain intents with ease. Learn more about Switchboards.
• Scalable Innovation: The use of third-party transmitters under the MOFA framework drives market experimentation and reduces network fragmentation.
• Cost-Efficient Transactions: MOFA’s competitive marketplace ensures affordable and reliable transaction execution for users.

XION’s Generalized Abstraction Approach

XION’s adopts the generalized abstraction approach to chain abstraction through its modular and multi-layered abstraction model that uses Meta Accounts to combine account, signature, gas, payment, device, and pricing abstractions to eliminate the need for manual interventions like assets bridging or multi-wallet management.⁵

Unique Selling Points of Generalized Abstraction Approach

• Multiplied Abstraction: Meta Accounts’ multiple abstraction layers allow developers to minimize the UX complexity of cross-chain transactions.
• Ecosystem Coverage: Operates across major blockchains (e.g., Solana, BNB, AVAX).
• Mainstream Appeal: Partnerships with recognizable brands and fiat-denominated pricing improve trust and accessibility for users unfamiliar with blockchain technology.

MagicLabs’ Smart Wallet Approach

MagicLabs adopts the smart wallet approach to chain abstraction through Passport, a chain-abstracted smart wallet powered by the Newton chain unification network that uses embedded wallets and developer-friendly APIs and SDKs to streamline the development of cross-chain dApps.⁶

Unique Selling Points of Smart Wallet Approach

• Chain Unification: Newton’s standardized APIs empower developers to build interoperable dApps with friendly UX across multiple blockchains in the ecosystem.
• Embedded Wallets: Passport’s interoperable SDKs enable developers to integrate smart contract wallets that are embedded in the supported chains in the ecosystem.
• Mainstream Adoption Potential: Support from high-profile partners like PayPal Ventures boosts credibility and market reach.

Final Thoughts

While their approaches to chain abstraction vary, the major players share a common goal of simplifying Web3’s complexities to unlock its full potential. 

• One Interface for All Wallets

With chain abstraction, users no longer have to switch between multiple wallet interfaces.

• One Wallet for All Tokens

With chain abstraction, users can store tokens from different chains in a single wallet.

• Any Token for Gas Fees on Any Chain

With chain abstraction, users can use any token to pay for gas fees on any chain.

As more projects adopt chain abstraction solutions, Web3 could finally achieve the accessibility and usability needed for mainstream adoption.

Sources:

(1) Particle Network, “The First Chain-Agnostic Trading Platform! Welcome UniversalX” - https://blog.particle.network/universalx/ 

(2) Arcana Network, “Web3 Made Effortless” - https://arcana.network/

(3) Particle Network, “Particle L1 Architecture” - https://developers.particle.network/landing/modular-l1/introduction

(4) Socket Protocol, “What is Socket Protocol?” - https://docs.socket.tech/introduction/

(5) XION, “Generalized Chain Abstraction?” - https://docs.burnt.com/xion/developers/learn/generalized-chain-abstraction 

(6) MagicLabs, “Introducing Passport: Smarter than a Smart Wallet” - https://magic.link/posts/introducing-passport