ZetaChain Aims to Push Cross-Chain Interoperability Envelope With Gateway Upgrade

Gateway allows users to access dApps hosted on supported third-party networks from ZetaChain.

ZetaChain is seeking to push the envelope of cross-chain interoperability with its Gateway upgrade.

On July 17, ZetaChain, a Layer 1 network supporting omnichain functionality, launched Gateway, enabling two-way interoperability for dApps launched on supported networks and ZetaChain.

Gateway enables the deployment of smart contracts on connected chains that expose its API for developers to interact with. As such, the upgrade allows users to access dApps hosted on other networks from ZetaChain while also enabling users on other networks to interact with ZetaChain-based applications.

This means developers need only deploy their dApp once to access users across multiple networks. Gateway supports Bitcoin, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible networks, and non-EVM chains

“Apps on [ZetaChain’s] Universal EVM (Universal Apps) can both natively access and be accessed from any connected chain without requiring users to switch networks,” ZetaChain said. “Gateway enables externally-owned accounts and apps on connected chains to efficiently call Universal Apps, send tokens, and handle gas queries through a unified API.”

Gateway also enables multi-transaction and cross-chain operations in a single click.

ZetaChain user base surges

ZetaChain describes itself as enabling “chain abstraction” through its Universal EVM. The project supports cross-chain interactions with Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, BNB Chain, and Cosmos, among other networks.

ZetaChain has quickly grown to rank among the top networks by daily active users after launching its mainnet beta on Jan. 31. According to DappRadar, ZetaChain ranks 20th among web3 networks by monthly users, hosting more than 850,000 unique wallets over the past 30 days — significantly beating more established networks like Tron, Avalanche, and Fantom.

Despite ZetaChain’s strong user base, ZetaChain-native dApps haven’t flourished. According to DeFi Llama, the total value locked in ZetaChain-based DeFi protocols is just $3.9 million, with EddyFinance accounting for 39% of the total.

‘Hub-and-spoke’ versus ‘point-to-point’ messaging

ZetaChain said Gateway overcomes many of the inefficiencies associated with conventional blockchain bridges, with ZetaChain serving as a hub through which all cross-chain messages flow.

“The hub-and-spoke model offered by Universal Apps solves scalability and maintenance challenges… with point-to-point messaging as all communication is routed through a single hub with out-of-the-box connections to all other blockchains in the network,” ZetaChain said.

By contrast, ZetaChain describes its former “point-to-point” messaging system as necessitating an exponential increase in the complexity of cross-chain communications as the number of interconnected networks grows.

“In a point-to-point messaging system, a contract on one chain communicates directly with another contract on another blockchain,” ZetaChain said. “As the number of blockchains and contracts grow, the complexity increases exponentially. Each contract must establish and maintain a direct link with every other contract, resulting in a dense web of connections.”

The project described Gateway as serving a foundational role within its ZetaChain 2.0 roadmap.