Bridging Assets to StableChain: A Guide to Route Options

The process of bridging assets to StableChain is surprisingly straightforward once you understand the prerequisites and the route options available. One key advantage of StableChain is that it eliminates the need for a separate gas token, as its native gas is denominated in USDT0.

This design makes route choice worth considering, as the one transaction performed is where costs, trust assumptions, and failure modes come into play. The good news is that there are only two primary routes to consider: the Relay route, which uses an intent-based bridge, and the canonical paths through the USDT0 mesh itself.

The Relay route involves connecting your wallet, choosing the source chain and asset, setting the destination asset to USDT0 on Stable, and approving and confirming the transaction. The fee for this service is baked into the quote, which includes the protocol's fee and the relayer's spread.

On the other hand, the canonical paths through the USDT0 mesh involve burning on the source chain, verified message, and minting on Stable. These routes are direct, with minimal intermediaries, but require holding USDT0 specifically on a connected chain first.