Cross-network transfer
A cross-network transfer moves an asset from one blockchain network to another, so the same asset is available on the destination network. It is one of the capabilities apps offer by calling the SODAX API, and SODAX carries it as a financial action, not as a bridge.
What it refers to
A cross-network transfer moves an asset from one blockchain network to another, so the same asset is available to its holder on the destination network (often searched as cross chain transfer). Cross-network here means across blockchain networks. Unlike a cross-network trade, the asset does not change: a stablecoin sent from one network arrives as the same stablecoin on the other.
On SODAX, cross-network transfers are one of the capabilities apps offer by calling the SODAX API, alongside trading, lending and borrowing with cross-network collateral, and yield.
Why this concept exists
Blockchain networks keep separate state, so an asset held on one network cannot be used on another until it is moved there. People need their assets where they plan to use them: in an app on another network, as collateral for a loan, or to pay someone.
Moving an asset has often meant receiving a different token on the destination network that stands for the original, then working out separately whether there is liquidity to use it. The concept names the plain need: the same asset, on the network where it is wanted.
What this changes for system design
A transfer that spans networks is asynchronous. The source network and the destination network each confirm on their own schedule, so the system has to track the transfer until the asset is released on the destination network, and keep recovery paths so funds do not become stuck.
SODAX is not a bridge. It carries a transfer as a financial action over its own messaging protocol and relay, with the same coordination it uses for trades and loans, and an asset keeps its canonical name on every network where SODAX has whitelisted it. Apps that call the SODAX API offer transfers with no bridges to run and no wrapped assets to manage, and SODAX never takes custody.
Related terms
- Bridge: what SODAX is not
- Cross-chain swap: when the asset changes too
- Cross-network execution: the coordination behind it
- Generalized Messaging Protocol (GMP): how the action travels
- Recoverability: no stuck funds
- SODAX API: how apps offer transfers