Why This Order?
Most developers coming to LayerZero want to transfer tokens across chains. The question is: how much customization do you need?| If you want to… | Use this | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer existing assets (USDC, ETH, USDT, USDT0, USDe, WBTC, etc.) | Stargate, OFTs | Lowest |
| Transfer tokens + execute logic on destination | Composer | Low |
| Manage crosschain liquidity in vaults | OVault | Medium |
| Build completely custom crosschain logic | OApp | Higher |
| Read data from other chains | lzRead | Higher |
Transfer Existing Assets
Best for: Integrating transfers of assets that are already crosschain enabled. If the asset you need already exists as an OFT or in Stargate pools, you can integrate directly without deploying anything.Stargate Assets
Stargate provides unified liquidity pools for major assets across 60+ chains. The hard work—issuing the asset, managing liquidity, handling edge cases—is already done. Assets: ETH, USDC, USDT, and more via unified pools.Stargate Architecture
How Stargate’s Hydra system enables unified liquidity.
Integrate Stargate
Add Stargate transfers to your application.
Existing OFTs
Other teams have deployed OFTs that you can integrate directly. These maintain unified supply across chains through LayerZero messaging. Assets: USDT0, USDe, WBTC, and more.View OFT Ecosystem
See all OFT deployments available to integrate.
Asset0
Managed OFT deployments with enhanced security.
Composer
Best for: Token transfers + arbitrary logic in a single transaction. Composers let you bundle a token transfer with additional calldata that executes on the destination chain. Send tokens AND trigger a swap, deposit into a protocol, or call any contract function. Example use cases:- Transfer USDC and swap to ETH on arrival
- Bridge tokens directly into a lending protocol
- Crosschain purchases (send payment + execute buy)
Composer Concepts
How composed messages work under the hood.
EVM Composers
Implement composable transfers on EVM chains.
OVault
Best for: Crosschain vault and liquidity management. OVault provides a standard for managing assets across multiple chains from a unified interface. Deposit on one chain, manage liquidity across many.OVault Concepts
Crosschain vault architecture and design.
EVM OVault
Implement OVault on EVM chains.
OApp (Custom Messaging)
Best for: Building completely custom crosschain systems. OApp is the base standard for arbitrary crosschain messaging. You define the message format, the sending logic, and the receiving logic. Full flexibility, but you’re responsible for the design. When to use OApp:- You need to send non-token data across chains
- You’re building crosschain governance, oracles, or coordination systems
- You need complete control over message handling
OApp Concepts
Understand the OApp message lifecycle.
EVM OApp
Build custom messaging on EVM chains.
OApp Patterns
Common patterns: A→B, A→B→A, composed messages.
lzRead (Crosschain Queries)
Best for: Reading data from other chains without transferring assets. lzRead allows your contracts to query state from other blockchains. Instead of sending a message and waiting for a response, you can pull data directly. Example use cases:- Check token balances on another chain
- Read oracle prices from a different network
- Verify state before executing logic
lzRead Concepts
How crosschain reads work.
EVM lzRead
Implement crosschain queries on EVM.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Token Transfer | Custom Data | Compose Logic | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargate | Yes (pooled assets) | No | No | Lowest |
| Composer | Yes (OFT-based) | Yes (calldata) | Yes | Low |
| OVault | Yes (vault deposits) | Limited | Yes | Medium |
| OApp | Manual | Yes (anything) | Yes | Higher |
| lzRead | No | Yes (read-only) | No | Higher |
Next Steps
Issue Your Own OFT
If you want to issue your own crosschain token instead of using existing ones.
Configure Security
Set up DVNs and Executors for your crosschain application.