At Connext, our goal is to build the cross-chain routing and micropayment layer of the decentralized web. Connext sits on top of Ethereum, evm-compatible L2 blockchains, and other turing-complete chains, and enables instant, near free transfers that can be routed across chains and over liquidity in any asset. Most importantly, it does this without giving up the trust-minimization properties of the underlying chain.

You can think of Connext as a shared standard for blockchains and other decentralized networks to communicate with each other about value.

Where Do I Start?

Anyone who is interacting with Connext needs to run a Connext node in some capacity. Connext nodes run the protocol, deploy channels to peers, and transfer value within those channels. We have two implementations of the node:

1. The server-node, which uses docker to package up core logic and exposes http and gRPC interfaces.
2. The browser-node, which is distributed via npm and exposes a typescript/javascript interface.

You can also run the Connext node as an intermediary (we call this a routing node), where you forward transfers between different channels. This way, peers can transfer to each other without needing channels directly to one other, but instead by "hopping" value across many different channels through the network. Routing nodes run server-node with an automated module - a router - to forward transfers.

Browser Applications

If you're building a browser-based application, check out the browser-node quick start guide.

Crosschain Browser Applications

If you're building an cross-chain transfer application, check out the modal quick-start guide.

Server-side Applications

If you're building a server application or backend/native infrastructure that runs on docker, check out the server-node quick start guide.

Micropayment Applications

If you're building a protocol or network that leverages p2p micropayments, you will want to write custom transfer logic, integrate one or both of the two above nodes into user-facing code, and likely run a router to bootstrap the network.

Liquidity Providers

If you want to be a liquidity provider in the network, either to forward transfers or to bridge value across chains, you'll want to run a router.

Unsure?

If you're still confused about where to begin, join us in our community chat! We're very responsive and happy to point you to the right resources.