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Overview

Resource Locks are OneBalance’s innovative solution that transforms cross-chain transactions by delivering three critical improvements: speed, reliability, and cost efficiency. Resource Locks enable cross-chain transactions to execute at the speed of the destination chain while providing cryptographic guarantees and reducing operational costs through optimized settlement patterns.

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How Resource Locks Work

Resource Locks are managed by OneBalance’s RL Service, which performs four critical functions:
1

Verifies

Validates user on-chain and locked balances
2

Co-signs

Adds signatures to operations, ensures control over account state transition and prevents double-spending
3

Provides Guarantees

Issues security attestations to solvers for immediate delivery, given delayed settlement
4

Tracks Positions

Ensures not yet settled balance follows risk policies to maintain system integrity
This system enables asynchronous execution where intent fulfillment is separated from settlement, dramatically improving user experience.

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Key Benefits

Resource Locks deliver three fundamental improvements to cross-chain operations:

Speed

Execute cross-chain transactions in seconds instead of minutes by eliminating finality wait times and double-spend prevention delays.

Reliability

Cryptographic guarantees ensure 100% transaction success with OneBalance’s co-signing mechanism preventing failed or stuck transactions.

Cost Efficiency

Reduce gas costs by up to 40% through batched settlements and optimized cross-chain routing patterns.

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Speed: Near-Instant Execution

Traditional cross-chain transactions require waiting for source chain finality (often 12+ minutes on Ethereum). Resource Locks eliminate this wait by providing immediate execution guarantees through cryptographic co-signing.

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Reliability: Guaranteed Settlement

Unlike intent-based systems that can fail due to solver unavailability or market conditions, Resource Locks provide mathematical certainty that operations will complete successfully.

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Cost Efficiency: Optimized Economics

Resource Locks enable transaction batching and optimal routing decisions that significantly reduce the total cost of cross-chain operations for both users and applications.

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Evolution of Cross-Chain Bridging

Classical Bridge

Critical Path:

Source chain finality + Destination chain inclusion

Typical Duration:

3 minutes or more

Intent Bridge

Critical Path:

Source chain inclusion + Routing + Destination chain inclusion

Typical Duration:

15-45 seconds

RL-enabled Bridge

Critical Path:

Lock verification + Routing + Destination chain inclusion

Typical Duration:

5-10 seconds

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Classical Bridge: Source Chain Finality + Destination Chain Inclusion

Traditional bridges require waiting for source chain finality before processing on the destination chain, resulting in significant delays. Classical Bridge Flow

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Intent Bridge: Solver Assumes Finality Risk

Intent-based bridges improve speed by having solvers take on the finality risk, but still require source chain inclusion. Intent Bridge Flow

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Fast Intent Bridge: Lock Provider Eliminates Double-Spend and Finality Risk

OneBalance’s Fast Intent Bridge achieves near-instant cross-chain execution by removing both double-spend risk and finality waiting times through Resource Locks.
Fast Intent Bridge Flow

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Types of Resource Locks

Resource Locks fall into two main categories:
  1. Account-based locks - Locks are implemented at the account level, allowing seamless compatibility with existing user flows and wallet interactions.
  2. Escrow-based locks - Instead of locking accounts, this approach implements an escrow smart contract where users deposit tokens for cross-chain operations.
Currently, OneBalance primarily uses account-based locks for optimal user experience and compatibility. Once Resource Lock is enabled, transactions can be sent only via OneBalance Toolkit, as otherwise it is impossible to prevent the double-spending in asynchronious execution environment.
For detailed integration instructions, see our Getting Started guide.

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Additional Resources

Dive deeper into Resource Locks with these resources:

ETH Research Paper: Introducing OneBalance

Technical deep-dive into Resource Locks architecture, cryptographic proofs, and formal verification of the system’s security guarantees.

Interop/Acc Podcast: Resource Locks Explained

A discussion on how Resource Locks solve cross-chain interoperability challenges and their impact on the ecosystem.

Into the Bytecode: OneBalance Technical Overview

Technical breakdown of OneBalance’s implementation, covering Resource Locks, account abstraction, and cross-chain execution patterns.