IBC Connect: verify existing relayers and easily set up new relayer connections
The promise of IBC is that sovereign blockchains can speak the same language, building a web of interconnected chains and applications that can send any type of data. But how are these connections actually set up and maintained?
This is where IBC Connect from TFM comes in: a tool for interchain L1 teams to set up relayer connections between their appchain and as many other Cosmos SDK chains as required.
Through an intuitive user interface, appchain teams can request new connections as well as have TFM provide redundancy for existing connections. TFM have already set up multiple relayers for existing connections, helping to revert transactions that had got stuck.
Who is IBC Connect for?
IBC Connect is targeted at Cosmos SDK chain core teams. TFM aims to provide high quality relayer services, increasing connectivity throughout the interchain. Any Cosmos SDK chain can request TFM to set up new relayers or provide redundancy for existing connections.
What problem does IBC Connect solve?
Cosmos SDK chain teams often need to establish and manage relationships with a broad set of relayers or run relayers in-house. The resource constraints this process necessitates can become a drag on even the most robust team. TFM has launched IBC Connect as a way to improve the day-to-day experience of relayer management for appchain teams.
Since the launch of IBC Bridge, the precursor to IBC Swap & IBC Transfer, on March 17th 2023, TFM has learned that relayer reliability is fundamental to successful cross chain interactions. TFM manages the front end, back end and smart contracts. Managing the relayer connections as well makes practical sense by bringing more of the process under direct control of TFM — meaning they can have more of an influence on each step of the process, and users can experience improved cross-chain transaction flow.
How long until the relayers are active?
When a verified member of an interchain appchain submits a relayer request, TFM is able to set up the relayers within 1 hour of confirming receipt of the configuration file, generated on the IBC Connect dapp. A team member known to TFM should submit the configuration link via Telegram.
– On the left, there is a drop down menu showing existing connections to other appchains
– On the right, appchain teams can select additional connections to other appchains as well as additional relayers for existing connections. Once the appropriate appchains have been selected, simply turn on the Enable TFM IBC-Connect toggle to generate a configuration link. Discussion with TFM, via Telegram, is necessary to confirm the authenticity of the request, and that’s it. Within an hour, all the requested relayer connections will be available.
IBC Connect makes it easy to outsource IBC relayer connections, meaning appchains can focus on their core mission. With more relayers running, the interchain will continue to become more robust, helping to provide a more seamless experience for users.
Get started
Visit https://tfm.com/ibc-connect to explore relayer connections between appchains and set up new connections to bring the interchain closer together.
From stkATOM on Persistence to ASTRO on Neutron in 1-click
Appchains are great. The interchain is home to over 50+ purpose-specific application chains, each of which attempts to provide the best functionality and user experience for their specific use-case.
What’s not great, is the user experience (UX) for navigating across these chains. While the interchain’s IBC protocol ensures transferring tokens are fast, secure and cheap, the process of actually moving and swapping tokens across chains is not seamless.
To solve this interchain UX problem, TFM introduced IBC Swap last month — a single, simple interface that allows users to transfer and swap their tokens across 4 different chains — with just 1 click!
This was great. TFM.com users now had a simpler way to use the interchain. But we weren’t happy with that.
And so, today, we unveil 3 ways for every dApp, chain and user interface developers in the interchain to deploy this new seamless user experience easily.
The TFM IBC Widget, SDK, and API together form a cohesive suite of tools that equip developers with everything they need to build groundbreaking decentralized applications. Whether you prefer a ready-made widget, a feature-rich SDK, or a versatile API, TFM offers a solution tailored to your needs.
Read on for more information about each of these developer offerings, or if you’re ready, dive into the docs now.
If you are an interchain user and just want to use IBC Swap and Transfers, head on over to tfm.com
Introducing the TFM IBC Widget: A Game-Changer for Cross-Chain Transactions
TFM Widget can be used to deploy our seamless interchain UX within minutes. Developers can customize the widget to match their website, giving users the required functionality while keeping the look and feel of the site consistent.
The widget is available in multiple options: IBC Swap, IBC Transfer or both. This provides maximum flexibility for speedy implementation. Developers can freely integrate both or either of them based on their ideas.
IBC Swap: The Magic of One-Click Swaps
The IBC Swap component of the widget allows developers to offer users the ability to swap any token for any other token across various chains. What’s exciting here is the choice between two modes: Turbo and Saving.
Turbo Mode: Picture this: a one-click, hassle-free swapping experience where everything is handled behind the scenes. That’s Turbo Mode for you. One-click, and the widget and TFM’s router do the rest!
Saving Mode: For those who like to have a little more control, Saving Mode might be your choice. While it requires more clicks, users may save some of the token amounts. It’s all about choice and flexibility.
IBC Transfer: Making Cross-Chain Transfers a Breeze
With IBC Transfer, the widget allows direct token transfers from one chain to another. With support for most existing chains and any token, it’s a versatile tool for developers aiming to streamline the transfer process.
IBC Swap and IBC Transfer widgets
Why Integrate the TFM IBC Widget?
Here’s why developers are falling in love with this widget:
Time Saver: Forget spending hours crafting a UI for cross-chain transactions. The widget is ready to go.
Tailor-Made Solutions: Swap and transfer, dark and light themes, and customization that meets your dApp’s unique needs.
Access to a Comprehensive Guide: The full documentation is always there, just a click away, should you need more details or support.
The TFM IBC widget is more than just a functional tool; it’s a customizable, user-friendly, and time-saving solution for anyone looking to enrich their dApp with cross-chain transaction capabilities. Whether you want the simplicity of Turbo Mode or the hands-on control of Saving Mode, the widget offers something for everyone.
Interested in trying it out? Head over to the official documentation and see how to integrate the TFM IBC widget into your next project.
TFM SDK: A Developer’s Toolkit for Effortless DEX Aggregation, Token Pricing, and Cross-Chain Integration
TFM SDK is a comprehensive set of utility classes designed to empower developers with seamless access to token pricing, decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregation, and Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) swap and transfer functionalities.
The SDK enables developers to interact with the underlying appchain networks effortlessly. By leveraging TFM SDK, developers can streamline the development process and focus on building innovative DeFi applications without getting tangled in complex protocols.
Providing powerful tooling while abstracting away complexity for both end users and developers has been our aim as we have built our latest suite of products.
TFM SDK facilitates faster dApp development
With TFM SDK, developers can easily integrate powerful features into their applications, allowing users to access token pricing data, perform efficient trades across various DEXs, and execute secure cross-chain transfers and swaps.
For developers who want to explore and better understand the available functionality, TFM SDK offers a collection of examples in the repository. Check out these examples if you encounter any issues while working with the SDK. They provide hands-on demonstrations of how to use the SDK’s capabilities effectively.
TFM SDK does the legwork so developers can focus on building dApps their way. Developers can build dApps using some, or all, of the following functionalities:
Complete token pricing data (native token or IBC)
DEX Aggregation
Cross-chain transfers
Cross-chain swaps
TFM SDK allows developers to use both Typescript and Python. This makes it straightforward to integrate into any application: backend, frontend, or Web app.
For detailed information and comprehensive guidance on using TFM SDK, developers can refer to the full documentation. This resource-rich documentation offers in-depth explanations, usage examples, and best practices, ensuring that developers can maximize the potential of TFM SDK to create cutting-edge blockchain-based solutions.
The IBC module within the SDK offers a comprehensive set of functionalities for facilitating cross-chain operations. This module seamlessly facilitates transactions between multiple chains, enabling smooth interoperability across various appchain networks.
It is designed to be highly customizable, offering numerous options to tailor the input and output of operations according to specific needs. Whether you are performing IBC transfers or swaps, the module allows you to choose whether to return the route, message (msg), or both the message and route simultaneously, based on your application’s requirements.
DEX Aggregator
The library offers the DEX aggregator module, which allows effortless integration of the TFM DEX aggregator into dapps. The SDK seamlessly connects with TFM’s API, handling the intricate exchange processes in the background. As a result, developers can avoid the burden of manually implementing these functionalities, saving time and effort.
Price
While other solutions might provide pricing data from various sources, the TFM library offers a distinctive advantage. It not only enables you to obtain pricing data from diverse channels but also supports pricing retrieval for Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) tokens. With this feature, you can effortlessly obtain the price for any IBC token by specifying the destination chain. The integration of this powerful feature enhances the capabilities of your decentralized applications significantly, relieving you of any complexities related to pricing retrieval.
TFM API: Unleashing the Power of Cross-Chain Interactions
For developers looking to take control over the core functionalities without the UI(Widget) or SDK, TFM also provides a robust API. This API is designed to work hand-in-hand with the TFM SDK and provides a programmable interface to access all the features offered by the TFM ecosystem.
Why Choose TFM API?
Seamless Integration: Easily integrate the API into existing systems and workflows.
Full Access to Core Functionalities: Get programmatic access to token pricing, DEX aggregation, cross-chain transfers, and swaps.
Language Support: Compatible with various programming languages, ensuring flexibility in development.
Key Features of the TFM API
IBC Integration: Facilitates cross-chain operations with customization options.
DEX Aggregator Access: Connect with TFM’s DEX aggregator for streamlined exchange processes.
Price Retrieval: Obtain pricing data for both native and IBC tokens.
Getting Started with the TFM API
The API is designed to be developer-friendly, with comprehensive documentation that includes detailed explanations, usage examples, and best practices.
Integration Guide: Step-by-step guide to integrating the TFM API into your project can be found here.
The TFM IBC Widget, SDK, and API together form a cohesive suite of tools that equip developers with everything they need to build groundbreaking decentralized applications. Whether you prefer a ready-made widget, a feature-rich SDK, or a versatile API, TFM offers a solution tailored to your needs.
Want to take the next step in building the future of DeFi? Explore our official documentation and join the revolution today!
IBC Swap — simplifying swaps and transfers across the interchain
Introducing IBC Swap — a solution by TFM to significantly simplify the process of cross-chain swaps in the interchain, making it easier and more efficient for users to move and use their tokens across different chains.
The interchain is a fast-growing ecosystem with over 50 IBC connected chains, made up of both Cosmos-SDK appchains and now, Polkadot chains too. While it is commendable that IBC connects these chains for secure cross-chain token transfers, the user journey for actually swapping and transferring tokens between chains is kinda “broken”.
IBC Swap benefits users by abstracting away the complexity of moving tokens around the interchain. Instead of initiating multiple transactions on multiple dApps, IBC Swap helps users swap tokens from anywhere, to anywhere, in one seamless interface.
For example, currently, if a user wants to use ATOM they hold on the Persistence chain to buy an NFT with STARS on Stargaze, there are four steps that must completed:
Persistence: Transfer ATOM from Persistence to Cosmos Hub
Osmosis: Deposit ATOM from Cosmos Hub into Osmosis
Osmosis: Swap ATOM for STARS on Osmosis
Osmosis: Withdraw STARS from Osmosis to Stargaze
IBC Swap
For experienced users, the flow is understood, it just takes the user time to conduct the transactions. For newer users, this process is overwhelming.
This user journey is not the fit for the mass adoption that the interchain is gearing up for.
What is TFM’s IBC Swap?
IBC Swap combines cross-chain swaps and transfers into a single interface. The flow for users is much simpler than making separate transactions for each step in a cross chain swap.
The four steps above can be combined into a single process on the IBC Swap Terminal.
IBC Swap will transfer the $ATOM from Persistence -> Cosmos Hub -> Osmosis
Perform the token swap from $ATOM to $STARS, with no additional fees
Then transfer the $STARS from Osmosis -> Stargaze
All, in just 2 clicks!
At TFM, we spent a lot of time working to simplify the interchain journey. Our team integrated Axelar’s Asset Transfer module, Packet Forward Middleware, and utilized IBC Hooks to reduce the number of transactions required to be signed in wallet.
Of course, we would like to further reduce the number of wallet-prompts the user receives, but despite this, the ability to perform cross-chain swaps and transfers from a single interface already greatly simplifies the process for the end user.
What might the future hold for IBC Swap?
Perhaps instead of using IBC Swap to move tokens and then shop on TFM’s interchain NFT Aggregator, users can go straight to the NFT Aggregator, find an NFT they want to purchase and then select a payment token from any network within the interchain.
The whole IBC Swap side of things could become obfuscated so users simply don’t need to worry about transferring tokens. IBC Swap works in the background, abstracting away the complexity of cross-chain swaps, making it easier, and helping to onboard the next wave of users to the interchain.
So, how do you use IBC Swap?
Here is a step-by-step guide to using IBC Swap — on https://tfm.com
Empty IBC Swap box
Visitors to TFM IBC Swap are presented with this swap box. Users must select From Network and Token as well as To Network and Token.
When they click on one of the drop-downs above, they are presented with the following model window. Continuing with the example above, we simply select From Persistence ATOM, To Stargaze STARS. Then press Save & Close.
IBC Swap | Appchain and token selectorIBC Swap box | Notice PFM routing through Cosmos Hub
Approve transactions in wallet, and wait for STARS to appear in Stargaze wallet. Then go shopping, using TFM’s interchain NFT Aggregator of course!
About TFM.com
TFM are abstracting away the complexity of IBC with their suite of products for both users and developers. They have also built a DEX and NFT aggregation platform to provide the best swap rates and ability to purchase NFTs from multiple appchains within one integrated Terminal.
