Permissionless Relaying Protocols

Permissionless relaying protocols are bridge architectures that allow anyone to act as a relayer without needing approval from a central authority. This openness is a hallmark of decentralization, as it ensures that the bridge cannot be shut down by blocking specific relayers.

By incentivizing a diverse set of participants to compete for the role of submitting transaction proofs, the protocol becomes more resilient and censorship-resistant. However, these protocols must include mechanisms to prevent malicious relayers from submitting fraudulent proofs.

This balance between openness and security is a primary challenge in designing truly decentralized bridge infrastructure.