EEA Crosschain Interoperability Specification Suite

Industry Initiatives

Overview

Initiative Name	EEA Crosschain Interoperability Specification Suite
Organization	Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA)
Type	Standard
Description	The goal is to provide a set of specifications to enable crosschain interoperability between EVM-based networks and between EVM-based and non-EVM based blockchains.
Ecosystem	EVM-focused
Public Participants	Wanchain Adhara QualitaX Datachain Clearmatics ConsenSys
Date Started	2020
Status	Draft - Under development
Link	https://entethalliance.github.io/crosschain-interoperability/ and https://entethalliance.github.io/crosschain-interoperability/draft_crosschain_techspec.html

The EEA Crosschain Interoperability Specification Suite was initiated by ConsenSys and Wanchain in 2020. This suite consists of three technical specifications that address the requirements for interoperability between EVM-based networks and the integration between EVM-based and non-EVM-based blockchains, such as R3 Corda. The design revolves around a layered and modular protocol stack for cross-chain interoperability, encompassing the Application, Function Call, and Messaging layers. The approach is for Crosschain Applications to use Crosschain Function calls to allow business logic to be executed across blockchains. Components in the Crosschain Function Call layer rely on components in the Crosschain Messaging layer to deliver information from one blockchain to another such that the information can be trusted.

It is important to note that the specification suite is currently under development. However, in its current state, it provides implementable technical requirements and interfaces. It is already leveraged by some of the EEA members and some participants of the Hyperledger Harmonia initiative which focuses on crosschain interoperability in the banking sector. As such, it stands as a robust technical guide, detailing the interfaces and considerations for achieving interoperability within the enterprise EVM-based ecosystem.

Organizations aiming for best practices in enterprise Ethereum-based crosschain interoperability, especially those looking to bridge with non-EVM enterprise DTL/blockchains, should consider staying up to date and monitoring the evolution and updates of the EEA Crosschain Interoperability Specification Suite.

Analysis

Scope and Purpose
Target Audience	Developers, Researchers, Blockchain Architects, Product Managers
Coverage	Primarily EVM-based crosschain interoperabilty.
Technical Aspects
Architecture	Suggests a layered and modular architecture as a way for enterprises to create interoperable components for crosschain communication and execution.
Interoperability	Provides standardized interfaces.
Security Considerations	The specification suite comes with Crosschain Security Guidelines and Crosschain Decentralization Guidelines documents.
Adoption and Implementation
Vendor-agnostic Reference implementation	None
Current Adopters/Vendor Implementations	Adhara (as part of a project working with Fnality and R3). Possible anticipated adoption by Enterprise Ethereum solution providers when officially published as an official EEA open standard.
Case Studies	PvP - cash transfers between two Ethereum ledgers DvP - between Corda and Ethereum
Ease of Implementation	Detailed technical interfaces are provided, but the ease of implementation would depend on the specific use case and developers' expertise.
Governance and Update Mechanism
Oversight Body	Enterprise Ethereum Alliance - Crosschain Interoperability WG
Update Mechanism	Ongoing specification development and bi-weekly meetings involving EEA members and invited experts.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Advantages	Provides a standardized detailed approach and mechanism for crosschain messaging and crosschain function calls.
Challenges	While it aims for wider adoption, its primary focus remains on EVM-based systems and their interoperability.
Compatibility and Integration
Inter-standard Compatibility	The specification suite intends to align with EIP-3220: Crosschain Identifier Specification, ERC-5164: Cross-Chain Execution and the ISO Interoperability framework.
Extensibility	The modular architecture proposed ensures adaptability to future technological advancements.
Community and Support
Community Engagement	There are currently no active community engagement efforts. The EEA has a broad community of experts and stakeholders. However, direct involvement is limited to EEA members. Feedback and reviews from non-members are welcomed and encouraged.
Support Channels	For EEA members: GitHub Issues, Github PRs, and Slack are the preferred channels for discussions. For Non-members: [e-mail].
Future Roadmap
Next Step	Finalize the Messaging Layer and Function Call Layer specifications, ready for publication as official EEA standards.
Long-term Vision	Establish a globally recognized set of standards for enterprise EVM-based networks and between EVM-based and non-EVM based blockchains.
Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis	The EEA specification suite is primarily designed to address the needs for technical standardization of crosschain interoperability for enterprises. Stands out due to ongoing effort and its potential impact considering the number of enterprise EVM-based implementations/solutions.

Reviewer

We have contacted or we will contact the proposed reviewer.

Proposed reviewer: Dr Weijia Zhang, Wanchain

Review status: Not started.