Architecture Overview

Setu uses a modular design with decentralized canisters on Internet Computer Protocol to enable trustless cross-chain bridging.

Key Architecture Principles

Decentralized

Leverages ICP's distributed infrastructure for censorship resistance

Non-Custodial

User funds are never held by a centralized entity

Modular

Each component can be upgraded independently

System Architecture

Interactive Architecture Diagram

Hover over components to see their connections and click for details.

Key Components

Frontend Canister

The user interface for bridging funds and managing liquidity. This canister handles:

Wallet connections for various chains
Source and destination chain selection
Transaction initiation and confirmation
Liquidity pool information display

Backend Indexer Canister

The event listener and transaction coordinator. This canister handles:

Monitoring lock contracts via RPC connections
Verifying transaction integrity and authenticity
Building raw transaction templates for destination chains
Routing signing requests to appropriate signer canisters

Signer Canisters

Chain-specific threshold signature generators. These canisters handle:

Secure key management within the ICP environment
Deterministic key derivation based on caller identity
Signature generation for each supported blockchain family
Chain-specific signature format compatibility

Lock Contracts

On-chain contracts deployed on each supported blockchain. These contracts handle:

Receiving user funds and emitting lock events
Applying the 0.3% fee structure
Transferring funds to the chain's admin address
Supporting specific token standards for each chain

Transaction Lifecycle

Interactive Transaction Flow

1. User Initiation

User connects wallet and initiates a transfer through the Frontend Canister

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Security Benefits

Threshold Cryptography

Distributes key material across multiple nodes, eliminating single points of failure

Encapsulated Signing Environment

Private keys never leave the secure ICP environment

Multi-Level Verification

Transactions are verified at multiple stages before signing

Independent Component Updates

Modular design allows secure updates without affecting the entire system

Internet Computer Protocol Advantage

Using ICP canisters provides Setu with several key advantages over traditional bridge designs:

Decentralized execution environment resistant to censorship

Native threshold cryptography capabilities

Deterministic, verifiable code execution

Resistance to infrastructure-level attacks

Scalable compute resources for monitoring multiple chains

Overview Supported Chains