A review of blockchain cross‐chain technology

Abstract Along with the continuous breakthroughs and innovations in blockchain technology, various blockchain application scenarios are emerging, such as healthcare, e‐voting, and Internet of Things. However, in general, these applications need to be supported by blockchain systems with different characteristics. Different blockchain systems have significant differences in architecture, security, efficiency, and so on, which makes the exchange of information between applications have certain barriers. Therefore, the research of blockchain cross‐chain technology brings hope for breaking the information barriers between blockchain systems. This paper describes the basic principles and latest research of three mainstream cross‐chain technologies; then analyzes three innovative cross‐chain solutions of cross‐chain routing, smart contracts, and multi‐chain consensus; furthermore, discusses the application and security risks of cross‐chain technologies, and finally summarizes and outlooks on cross‐chain technologies.