Onboard your IBC-compatible chain

Follow these steps to onboard your Cosmos or IBC-compatible chain to the Axelar network.

Fill out the designated Cosmos Chain Connection Request Form. This form collects essential information about your chain and your team, which is important for a smooth integration process. Please ensure all provided information is accurate and complete.

Create an Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) channel that meets the following prerequisites:

  • Auto-update by relayers — Your IBC channel must be automatically updated by relayers every few hours (ideally every 2 to 3 hours). This ensures that the connection remains active and functional without manual intervention in the case of low transfer activity.
  • Trusting period for Axelar client — Your Axelar client’s trusting period should be set to 112 hours. This duration corresponds to two-thirds of the unbonding period, aligning with security protocols.
  • Trusting period for your chain’s IBC client — Similarly, the trusting period for your chain’s IBC client should be set to exactly two-thirds of your chain’s unbonding period. This is the recommended conservative configuration for trusting the IBC client state when the stake changes on the counterparty chain, accounting for potential downtimes.

We strongly recommend partnering with a relayer to manage your IBC channel. A professional relayer can operate, update, and monitor your channel, ensuring its optimal performance and reliability. Utilizing a relayer service significantly reduces the risk of channel expiration and other potential issues.

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It’s the responsibility of the team to operate the relayer (including light clients update, monitoring, etc) associated with the IBC channel.

In the connection request form, provide the URL or necessary details where we can retrieve the Keplr wallet configuration.

Once you submit the connection request form, we will provide an address for you to send tokens to. Sending tokens is necessary for testing the integration and ensuring that transactions can be successfully completed across the established IBC channel.

Please provide your chain’s logo in both PNG and SVG formats in the connection request form. High-quality logos are essential for visibility and recognition across our platforms and interfaces.

If you have any feedback or would like to report a bug, please file an issue in the Axelar Developer Support repository. The Interop Labs team is available to assist you with any questions you may have along the way.

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