Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC)

The Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) is a chain-agnostic interoperability protocol whose application layer can be used for building and executing cross-chain applications, including transfers, call delegation, and oracle data feeds.

The IBC's other layer, or 'transport layer' (TAO), provides a framework to establish connections and authenticate interchain data packets between chains.

Although initially designed by teams closely affiliated with Cosmos Hub, IBC can connect to and from blockchains with a wide range of consensus, cryptographic proof, and finality mechanisms beyond those using the Tendermint consensus engine.