Polkadot smart contract hub t3rn testnet deploys on Rococo ahead of mainnet

t3rn, an interoperable smart contract hub for the Polkadot ecosystem that’s designed to enable cross-chain transaction execution, has launched its testnet dubbed t0rn.

Per details shared with Invezz, the smart contract hub’s testnet has been deployed on Rococo, the main testing platform for parachains in the Polkadot ecosystem. t0rn is also live across other Polkadot parachain testnets.

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t3rn founder Maciej Baj, commented that the testnet launch was a “huge milestone”, with the development the last step before the final deployment with economic value. He added in a statement:

“With t0rn, developers will be able to try out our backend and our unified UI. Other parachains can register for Gateways and test our execution model. We think this will be revolutionary for the Polkadot ecosystem, finally enabling true cross-chain execution going beyond simple asset transfers.

t3rn enables cross-chain transaction execution

With proof-of-stake and proof-of-work network mechanisms working differently, it’s possible for a PoS transaction to be confirmed on a PoW chain but then get rejected in the event of a chain reorg.

What the t3rn technology aims at is to ensure that once a transaction is executed, validation occurs on both ends. This means that the transaction will succeed on the two blockchains, or fail (on both). If the latter happens, the transaction rolls back along with all the instructions that went into it. These are called side effects, or trice.

How does it work?

To effect the cross-chain execution, t3rn allows for smart contract calls via Circuit, a system that submits instructions (called Side Effects) to other parachains about the transaction. 

The side effects go to all active Gateways, with range proofs received from networks across the ecosystem, including Kusama, Polkadot and Rococo.

Executors work off-chain to evaluate the transaction on a risk-reward basis. If the executor deems the transaction ‘worthwhile’, they commit themselves via a bond and optimistically execute it.

t3rn’s optimistic execution model works much like the Ethereum rollups, where transactions are first executed and then finalized later. Misbehavior is checked by the game-theory assumption that guarantees punishment to bad actors.