Interchain Message Broker (IMA)

IMA - Source https://www.securities.io/investing-in-skale/

The Interchain Messaging Agent (IMA) is an important component of the Skale network, designed to facilitate interoperability between the Skale chain and the Ethereum mainnet, supporting the transmission of tokens including ETH, ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155, as well as arbitrary messages. This capability is useful for developers who need to securely move assets and data between different blockchain environments.

IMA operates by deploying a combination of smart contracts on the Ethereum and Skale chains. The system consists of four main components:

1.Deposit Box contract

The deposit box contract is an smart contract deployed on the Ethereum mainnet, serving as the starting point for token interaction from Ethereum to the Skale chain.

When a user initiates a transfer, the tokens are sent to a deposit box contract on Ethereum. This contract locks the tokens to ensure they are safely held and cannot be used until the transfer process is complete. Then, the deposit box contract notifies the corresponding IMA contract on the Skale chain that the tokens have been deposited and are ready to be mirrored on the Skale side.

This locking mechanism ensures that the original tokens are securely retained on Ethereum, while their equivalents are minted on the Skale chain, preventing double spending and maintaining the integrity of the transfer process.

2.Token Manager contract

The Token Manager contract is a smart contract deployed on the Skale chain. They manage the minting and burning of tokens corresponding to those locked in deposit box contracts on Ethereum. After receiving a notification from the deposit box contract, the token manager contract mints an equal amount of tokens on the Skale chain. The token is then available for users to use in the ecosystem.

When the tokens are transferred from the Skale chain back to Ethereum, the token manager contract will destroy the tokens on the Skale side. This destruction process ensures that the total supply of tokens remains consistent and prevents inflation. These contracts handle various types of tokens, including ERC-20, ERC-721 (NFT), and ERC-1155 (multi-token), thus ensuring that token standards and functionality are correctly mirrored on the Skale chain.

3.Message Proxy contract

The message proxy contract is an intelligent contract that facilitates message and data transmission between the Skale chain and the Ethereum mainnet, enabling arbitrary message communication between different chains and making complex interactions and data sharing across different blockchain environments possible and effective.

The message broker contract works in conjunction with the IMA agent to ensure secure and efficient relay of messages in the network, handling message encoding and decoding to ensure compatibility between different chains. Developers can extend the functionality of the message broker contract to support custom token standards and unique application requirements, providing flexibility for a wide range of use cases.

4.IMA Agent (IMA 代理)

The IMA agent is a containerized service running on each Skale chain node. It is responsible for relaying messages and coordinating the operations of deposit boxes, token managers, and message proxy contracts. It detects incoming messages and transactions from the Ethereum mainnet and relays them to the corresponding contracts on the Skale chain, ensuring efficient and secure message delivery in the network.

IMA agents use BLS threshold signatures to verify the authenticity of messages. By collecting partial signatures from multiple validator nodes and aggregating them into a single signature, it ensures that the message is valid and has obtained the approval of the majority of nodes. It coordinates the process of token transfer and message exchange, ensuring that each step is executed correctly and the network state remains consistent.

Cross-chain transaction

Cross-chain transactions allow tokens and messages to move between the SKALE chain and the Ethereum mainnet, maintaining network liquidity and interoperability. This process involves several steps to ensure security and efficiency.

When users initiate a transfer on Ethereum, they send tokens to a deposit box managed by the IMA smart contract. The IMA contract locks these tokens and notifies the corresponding IMA contract on the SKALE chain. The SKALE chain then mints an equal amount of tokens that users can use on that chain. The entire process is protected by BLS threshold signatures and requires validation from the majority of nodes.

Transferring tokens back to Ethereum follows a similar process. Users send tokens to the IMA contract on the SKALE Chain, where they are burned. The IMA contract on Ethereum is then notified, and the original tokens are unlocked and returned to the user's Ethereum wallet. This bi-directional transfer mechanism ensures that assets can flow between chains while maintaining their security and integrity.

IMA also supports the transfer of NFTs (ERC-721) and multi-token standards (ERC-1155). Developers can extend the IMA to handle custom token standards and messages, providing flexibility for unique application needs. This ability helps sustain a dynamic and interconnected blockchain ecosystem.

Integration with Ethereum

The SKALE chain aims to enhance Ethereum by providing scalability and performance improvements while relying on Ethereum's security and coordination mechanisms. This integration is achieved through the SKALE Manager, a set of smart contracts deployed on Ethereum that are responsible for handling validator registration, staking, and creation of the SKALE chain. These operations are conducted on the Ethereum mainnet to leverage its security protocol.

IMA allows assets and data to move between two networks, enabling developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) that leverage the advantages of both environments. This extends to developer tools and protocols as well, as SKALE supports the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and the Solidity programming language, allowing developers to easily migrate their existing Ethereum dApps to SKALE. SKALE also supports Ethereum's decentralized storage and computing capabilities, enabling developers to build dApps that can leverage both the extensive Ethereum ecosystem and the scalability and performance improvements of SKALE.

Highlights

• The Interchain Message Broker (IMA) enables the transfer of tokens and messages between the Skale Chain and the Ethereum mainnet.
• IMA operates through the Deposit Box contract, Token Manager contract, Message Broker contract, and IMA Agent.
• Cross-chain transactions involve locking tokens on Ethereum and minting equivalent tokens on Skale, and vice versa.
• BLS threshold signature enhances security, ensuring most nodes verify transactions.
• With the integration of Ethereum, Skale can improve scalability while relying on Ethereum's security and orchestration.