LayerZero Adds Solana, Breaking Down Crypto Walled Gardens

• LayerZero integrates Solana, enhancing cross-chain asset transfers.
• Expands interoperability with Ethereum, Polygon, and more.
• Enables the creation of applications leveraging multiple blockchains.

As blockchain networks become more specialized, interoperability between networks is becoming increasingly important. For that reason, platforms like LayerZero aim to boost this interoperability by enabling seamless transfers across chains. 

Most recently, LayerZero has integrated Solana into its network. The protocol’s founders hope this inclusion will help bring Solana and Ethereum closer, breaking down the biggest walled gardens in crypto. 

Solana Integration into LayerZero Network

On Thursday, May 30, LayerZero announced the addition of Solana to its cross-chain bridge network. This integration aims to enable users and developers to work across these networks seamlessly, breaking down the usual barriers.

LayerZero’s network already includes 70 blockchains, including Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum , BNB Chain, Optimism, and Base. It enables communication between these blockchains without cross-chain bridges. 

This omnichain approach allows developers to create versatile decentralized applications (dApps) that can leverage the strengths of different blockchains, improving functionality and user experience. For example, developers can use LayerZero to create applications that utilize Solana’s high-speed transactions while also benefiting from Ethereum’s vast ecosystem. 

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This approach also aims to break down the Walled Gardens in crypto. 

Why LayerZero Wants to Break Down Walled Gardens 

“Integrating Solana is incredibly important,” LayerZero co-founder Bryan Pellegrino exclaimed. “Crypto is built to disrupt the walled gardens of traditional finance. Yet, we sometimes find ourselves creating these walls all over again, like how two of the largest blockchains, Solana and Ethereum, are not able to communicate natively with each other,” he explained. 

“Walled garden” is a term from Web 2.0, and it refers to one company creating a network of its own applications, which work well together but not with other apps. For example, how Apple or Google suite products integrate well within their ecosystem, but not that well across them. 

In crypto, the tendency to create walled gardens also exists. For example, many blockchains, including Solana, have their preferred hot wallet. While there are reasons for this, both technical and financial, a walled-garden approach also makes it harder to switch from one platform to another, resulting in fewer choices for the user. 

On the Flipside

• While walled gardens benefit platforms at the expense of users, they are not always the result of deliberate choice. Sometimes, they tend to emerge naturally, as platforms start from different technologies that are not as easy to integrate. 
• Crypto is mostly open source, making integration and breaking down walled gardens easier than with traditional software. 

Why This Matters

Interoperability is essential as it enables users and developers to leverage the particular strengths of multiple chains. It also expands users’ choices when it comes to their preferred platforms and applications.  

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