Bridge (Cross-Chain)

A bridge (or cross-chain bridge) is a protocol that locks an asset on one blockchain and mints a representative token on another, enabling value and data to move across networks that share no native communication channel. The most common pattern is "lock-and-mint": you deposit a token into a bridge contract on the source chain, and a custodian or decentralized oracle instructs a matching contract on the destination chain to issue a wrapped equivalent. Bridges connect Ethereum mainnet to layer-2 rollups like Optimism or Base, and to entirely separate chains like Polygon or Solana. Because bridges hold large pools of locked assets, they are high-value attack targets — several have suffered nine-figure exploits. For tokenized domains, bridging enables an NFT issued on Ethereum to move to a cheaper layer-2 for low-cost transfers, then back to mainnet for DeFi collateral. Namefi's cross-chain strategy allows domain NFTs to settle where economics are best without sacrificing the security of the underlying Ethereum trust anchor. Source: Ethereum Developer Documentation — Bridges.