Hyperlane: The Modular Highway
Hyperlane is a project we’ve been talking about since literally day 1 of our launch, which goes to show just how big of believers we, or I should say “I”, so I don’t speak for everyone, am of the interoperability layer.
Hyperlane introduced the concept of the “Interchain Highway”, which they see as “a secure and fast route to establish connections in the ever-growing and expanding blockchain universe” - but for the sake of this article, we’re going to stick a “modular” to it and call it “The Modular Highway“.
Why?
Well, because they’ve managed to pave their way across the biggest names in the modular ecosystem, from Celestia, Eclipse, & more - which is why I think Hyperlane is a project any modularist should keep on their radar.
This article will cover:
What is Hyperlane
Security Legos: ISMs & Hooks
Hyperlane In Practice: Introducing Nexus
Network Effects
What is Hyperlane
Hyperlane itself is not a blockchain, but rather an interoperability layer that sits on top of blockchains. Chains & rollups that integrate with Hyperlane can communicate with one another, each adhering to its own set of rules (more on that later).
Hyperlane is integrated across the majority of the most well-known modular projects in the space. Notable integrations include Celestia, Fuel, Eclipse, EigenLayer, Caldera, Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, Moonbeam, Optimism, Arbitrum, Celo, Astar, Circle, Gnosis Chain, & BNB Chain. Plus, just recently they’ve established a connection with Movement and its ecosystem of MoveVM-based rollups as well.
Before continuing, let’s dive into why Hyperlane plays a crucial role in the modular ecosystem.
Why Hyperlane?
The modular thesis is based on the idea of a future with a million rollups, and thanks to the rapid success of sequencers, rollup frameworks, and rollup-as-a-service solutions (RaaS), we’ve reached a point where deploying a rollup has truly become as easy as deploying a smart contract.
Any average person, like myself, can simply visit one of these solutions, whether Conduit, Caldera, AltLayer, Gelato, or any other, and with just a few clicks of a couple of drop-down menus, have a fully customized rollup up and running in less than 5 minutes. Of course, the rollup won’t do anything without an actual app, but you get the idea.
I mean, have you seen L2Beat lately?
Okay, so we have all these rollups, but now we need a way for each of them to communicate with one another, permissionlessly, and that’s where Hyperlane comes in.
The problem they're addressing is that current interoperability protocols, for security reasons, tend to act as gatekeepers. For instance, developers often have to rely on bridging protocols to deploy their chain, or to have their tokens whitelisted before deploying on a certain chain.
That said, allowing any other chain to connect to yours presents some risks, and this is where Hyperlane really sets itself apart - security legos.
Security Legos: ISMs & Hooks
As Hyperlane puts it, security is not a one size fits all. Instead, developers are encouraged to select the security measures that best suit their chain or application. These security measures are encapsulated in what Hyperlane refers to as Interchain Security Modules (ISMs) and Hooks.
Interchain Security Modules (ISMs)
ISMs serve as specific rules set by each chain. More specifically, ISMs operate on the destination chain and dictate how chains should interact with other rollups in the space. These rules encompass a range of factors, including which chains can connect to theirs, which assets are allowed in, and more.
ISMs are set by any developer/app/chain that integrates Hyperlane, meaning not only does this apply to chains, but this even applies to interchain apps themselves, such as Nexus for example (discussed more below).
The cool thing about ISMs is their modularity. Being the “security legos” that they are, ISMs can be reused, or swapped out as new security solutions emerge. This modularity allows for flexibility and future-proofing, ensuring that Hyperlane integrations can adapt to evolving security needs. ISMs can be developed by the core Hyperlane team or by external teams, such as those working on ZK light clients, expanding the pool of available security options.
Here are a couple of ISM examples:
Multisig ISM: Verifies that a certain number of validators have verified the message
Wormhole ISM: “This ISM requires that 13 of the 19 Wormhole guardians attest to the validity of a Hyperlane message”.
Restaking Interchain Security Module: Just proposed a couple of days ago, this restaking module “means that interchain application developers can secure messages from Ethereum using an Eigenlayer restaking set”.
You can find a more complete list here.
Hooks
As the Hyperlane team puts it, “while ISMs modularize message verification, hooks modularize message dispatch”. Hooks modularize the logic that can be executed upon the sending of a message, making it easier to compose and evolve best practices over time, similar to that of ISMs.
Hooks enable developers to easily utilize various interoperability protocols without the need for drawn-out integration processes. So think about it. Before, teams had to go through a tough process to find themselves integrated with external bridges. Hooks streamline this process. Now, integrating an external bridge to your app becomes as simple as plugging in a hook. & yes, Hyperlane does work with other bridging solutions.
Hooks work in conjunction with ISMs (Interchain Security Modules), providing a seamless process for message dispatch and verification across different chains.
Developers can use Hooks for various purposes, including leveraging native rollup bridges, utilizing external message bridges, simplifying interchain gas payments, composing hooks for different security needs, routing per destination chain, and aggregation of hooks for consensus verification.
Hyperlane In Practice: Introducing Nexus
Nexus is a bridge app connecting Celestia and its rollups to the rest of the modular ecosystem, and was a collaborative effort between Neutron, Hyperlane, & Mitosis.
The problem it aims to solve is connecting Celestia’s emerging ecosystem of sovereign rollups with the rest of the web3 world. Put simply, it allows new rollups to capture users & liquidity more quickly and securely.
The platform leverages two different interoperability protocols, Hyperlane and IBC, enabling Celestia’s rollup ecosystem to go beyond the realms of just IBC-based chains to enable swift and secure asset transfers between Cosmos, Ethereum, and the wider modular ecosystem.
Utilizing Interchain Security Modules (ISMs), Nexus ensures the integrity and security of messages transmitted between different networks, reducing the reliance on third-party validators and enhancing trust in the bridging process. More specifically, thanks to the modularity of ISMs, while today Nexus relies on Neutron’s validator set, in the future, we can expect Nexus to adapt its ISMs to emerging technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and fraud-proof solutions to enhance security and efficiency further.
Today, you can go to the platform and bridge Celestia’s native token,TIA, between Celestia base layer, Neutron, Arbitrum, and Manta. & after this recent announcement, we may potentially see stTIA onboarded on Nexus soon, connecting the liquid staked token to the rest of the modular ecosystem.
Network Effects
With Hyperlane becoming more and more integrated across RaaS solutions, it’s becoming more and more easy for teams to tap into the ever-growing modular highway.
Let’s take a look at some network effects that could come about:
Ecosystem Growth and Adoption:
the more rollups that tap into the highway, the more users and liquidity becomes accessible for the rest of the ecosystem - a fragmented ecosystem becomes a lot more connected.
End-User Perspective:
end-users benefit from a broader range of decentralized services and applications accessible across multiple rollups. You have more choices and opportunities to interact with various platforms and protocols, enhancing user experience and utility.
with enhanced interoperability, end-users can seamlessly transact assets and data across different rollups without needing to navigate complex bridging solutions, ultimately improving the user experience.
Closing Thoughts
Hyperlane emerges as a pivotal player in the modular vision. By providing a secure and efficient route for communication between different chains and rollups, Hyperlane lays the foundation for a more connected and accessible modular ecosystem.
The modularity inherent in Hyperlane’s design, embodied by its Interchain Security Modules (ISMs) and Hooks, not only ensures flexibility and adaptability but also fosters innovation. Moreover, as Hyperlane continues to expand its integration across various modular projects and rollups, the potential for network effects grows exponentially.
In other words - Modular expansion 💫