Actors of Trade Service
Understand the key participants and components involved in executing cross-chain swaps through the Okto Trade Service, from the user initiating the intent to the liquidity providers fulfilling it.
Introduction
Executing a seamless any-to-any cross-chain swap via the Okto Trade Service involves a sophisticated orchestration between various actors and system components. Each plays a distinct role in translating a user's simple request into a successfully settled transaction across different blockchain networks. Understanding these actors helps clarify how Okto achieves this complexity abstraction.
Key Actors and Roles
Dive deep into each actor's role in the system
User
The initiator of the transaction who expresses their desired outcome through the Developer Application interface.
What does it do?
- Expresses their desired outcome (their 'intent') through the Developer Application interface
- Specifies what they want to swap (e.g., 'Swap X amount of Token A on Chain 1 for Token B on Chain 2')
- Reviews the quote and details provided by the application
- Approves and signs the final transaction proposed by the application
Client
The dApp, wallet, or platform that integrates the Okto Trade Service SDK or API to provide an interface for the User.
What does it do?
- Provides the interface for the User to express their intent
- Communicates with the Okto Trade Service to fetch quotes
- Receives optimized routing information and transaction calldata
- Presents this information to the User for approval
- Submits the User-signed transaction for execution
Okto Trade Service
The central system that coordinates the entire swap process, acting as the main interface between the Developer Application and the underlying Okto Infrastructure.
What does it do?
- Receives user intents from the Developer Application
- Utilizes its internal Intelligent Pathfinder component to calculate the optimal route
- Considers price, gas, speed, and slippage for optimal routing
- Interacts with external DEX Aggregators if necessary for on-chain swaps
- Structures the cross-chain transfer request into a formal 'intent'
- Submits this intent to the Unified Liquidity Layer (ULL) Facilitator Node
- Manages risk parameters and provides status updates to the Developer Application
DEX Aggregators
External, third-party services (e.g., 1inch, Socket, etc.) that find the best prices for on-chain swaps, used by the Trade Service when necessary.
What does it do?
- The Okto Trade Service may route parts of the transaction through these aggregators if the user's source token needs to be swapped into a ULL-compatible asset/FST before the cross-chain transfer
- Expand the range of supported tokens beyond those directly handled by ULL
Unified Liquidity Layer (ULL) Actors
The ULL is the core Okto infrastructure responsible for the secure and efficient cross-chain settlement part of the swap. It involves its own set of specialized actors:
Facilitator Node
The primary off-chain coordinator within the ULL network that manages the intent's lifecycle. Currently, Okto runs the facilitator nodes.
What does it do?
- Receives structured intents from the Trade Service
- Broadcasts these intents to the network of Fillers
- Matches the intent with an available Filler based on efficiency and cost
- Manages the intent's lifecycle within the ULL system
Fillers (or Solvers)
Independent liquidity providers who actively monitor the network for intents and bridge the liquidity gap between chains. Currently Okto has a network of fillers, later this will be opened to any external participants.
What does it do?
- Monitor the network for intents broadcast by the Facilitator Node
- Provide the required funds (the desired token) to the User's address on the destination chain
- Undertake the cross-chain execution risk, typically earning a fee or capturing a price spread for their service.
Settlers
Entities interacting with the ULL smart contracts on the source chain to finalize the transaction after a Filler confirms successful execution on the destination chain.
What does it do?
- Interact with the ULL smart contracts on the source chain
- Verify the Filler's success proof of destination chain execution
- Release the User's original deposited funds to the Filler
- Complete the economic cycle of the swap
- Compensate the Filler for providing destination chain liquidity