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The OApp standard lets your contract send and receive arbitrary messages across chains. With OApp, you can update onchain state on one network and trigger custom business logic on another. Diagram showing crosschain messaging between Network A and Network B, with an arrow indicating the message flow via LayerZero Send and Receive OApp.sol implements the core interface for calling LayerZero’s Endpoint V2 on EVM chains. It also provides hookable _lzSend and _lzReceive methods so you can inject your own business logic: Class inheritance diagram showing OApp.sol implementing the core interface for LayerZero Endpoint V2, with hookable _lzSend and _lzReceive methods for custom business logic
If your use case only involves crosschain token transfers, consider inheriting the OFT Standard instead of OApp.

Installation

To start using LayerZero contracts in a new project, use the LayerZero CLI tool, create-lz-oapp. The CLI tool is an npx package that allows developers to create any omnichain application in <4 minutes! Get started by running the following from your command line:
This will create an example repository containing both the Hardhat and Foundry frameworks, LayerZero development utilities, as well as the OApp contract package pre-installed. To use LayerZero contracts in an existing project, you can install the OApp package directly:
LayerZero contracts work with both OpenZeppelin V5 and V4 contracts. Specify your desired version in your project’s package.json:

Custom OApp Contract

To build your own crosschain application, inherit from OApp.sol and implement two key pieces:
  1. Send business logic: how you encode and dispatch a custom _message on the source
  2. Receive business logic: how you decode and apply an incoming _message on the destination
Below is a complete example skeleton structure showing:
  • A constructor wiring in the local Endpoint and owner
  • A sendString(...) function that updates state, encodes a string, and calls _lzSend(...)
  • An override of _lzReceive(...) that decodes the string and applies business logic
  • (Optional) a quoteSendString(...) function to query the fee details needed to call sendString(...)

Constructor

  • Pass the Endpoint V2 address and owner address into the base contracts.
    • OApp(_endpoint, _owner) binds your contract to the local LayerZero Endpoint V2 and registers the owner as the delegate, making it the only address that can change configurations (such as libraries, DVNs, and Executors.
    • Ownable(_owner) makes _owner the only address that can change configurations (such as peers, enforced options, and delegate).
  • After deployment, the owner can call:
    • setConfig(...) to adjust library or DVN parameters
    • setSendLibrary(...) and setReceiveLibrary(...) to override default libraries
    • setPeer(...) to whitelist remote OApp addresses
    • setDelegate(...) to assign a different delegate address
A full overview of how to use these adminstrative functions can be found below under Deployment & Wiring.

sendString(…)

  1. Update local state (optional)
    • Before sending, you might update a counter, lock tokens, or perform any onchain action specific to your app.
  2. Encode the message
    • Use abi.encode(_message), abi.encodePacked(_message), or manual byte shifting/offsets to turn the string into a bytes array. LayerZero packets carry raw bytes, so you must encode any data type into bytes first.
  3. Call _lzSend(...)
    • _dstEid is the destination chain’s Endpoint ID. LayerZero uses numeric IDs (e.g., 30101 for Ethereum, 30168 for Solana).
    • _message is the ABI-encoded string (bytes memory).
    • _options is a bytes array specifying gas or executor instructions for the destination. For example, an ExecutorLzReceiveOption tells the destination how much gas to allocate to your receive call.
    • MessagingFee(msg.value, 0) pays fees in native gas. If you wanted to pay in ZRO tokens, set the second field instead.
    • payable(msg.sender) specifies the refund address for any unused gas. This can be any address (EOA or contract), but if it’s a contract, the contract must have a fallback function to receive the refund.

_lzReceive(…)

  1. Endpoint verification
    • Only the LayerZero Endpoint V2 contract can invoke this function. The base OAppReceiver enforces that.
    • The call succeeds only if _origin.sender == peers[_origin.srcEid]. In other words, the sender’s address must match the registered peer for that source chain.
  2. Decode the incoming bytes
    • Use abi.decode(_message, (string)) to extract the original string. If you sent a different data type (e.g., a struct), decode with the matching types.
    • Alternatively, you can use abi.decodePacked() for packed encoding, or manually splice bytes from specific offsets if you know the exact format of your data structures.
  3. Apply your business logic
    • In this example, we store the decoded string in lastMessage.
    • You could instead:
      • Emit an event (e.g., emit MessageReceived(_origin.srcEid, decoded))
      • Mint or unlock tokens based on the message
      • Call another contract to trigger a downstream workflow
Always include all five parameters (_origin, _guid, _message, _executor, _extraData) in your override. Even if you only use _message, matching the function signature ensures the Endpoint can call your method correctly.

(Optional) quoteSendString(…)

You can optionally call the internal OAppSender._quote(...) method in a public function to provide accurate estimation for the gas cost of calling MyOApp.sendString(...). The internal _quote method queries the send library selected by the OApp and asks the workers (DVNs and Executor) for fee details for the given encoded message:
  1. Fee estimation before sending
    • Before calling sendString(...), you need to know how much native gas (or ZRO tokens) to send with your transaction. The quoteSendString(...) function provides this cost estimate.
  2. Mirrors send logic
    • The quote function uses the same message encoding (abi.encode(_string)) and option handling (combineOptions(_dstEid, SEND, _options)) as the actual send function, ensuring accurate fee estimates.
  3. Enforced options integration
    • By inheriting OAppOptionsType3 and using combineOptions(...), the quote function automatically includes any enforced options that the contract owner has configured for the SEND message type, plus any additional options provided by the caller.
  4. Flexible payment options
    • The _payInLzToken parameter lets you choose whether to pay fees in the native gas token of the source chain or in ZRO tokens. Example usage:

This section shows you exactly:
  • Where to update or check local state before sending
  • How to encode and send your application data over LayerZero
  • Where to decode incoming data and execute your custom logic
Replace the string examples with whatever data structures and state changes your application requires.

Deployment and Wiring

After you finish writing and testing your MyOApp contract, follow these steps to deploy it on each network and wire up the messaging stack.
We strongly recommend using the LayerZero CLI tool to manage your configurations. Our config generator simplifies access to all available deployments across networks and is the preferred method for crosschain messaging. See the CLI Guide for examples and how to use it in your project.

1. Deploy Your OApp Contract

Deploy MyOApp on each chain using either the LayerZero CLI (recommended) or manual deployment scripts.
After running pnpm compile at the root level of your example repo, you can deploy your contracts.

Network Configuration

Before using the CLI, you’ll need to configure your networks in hardhat.config.ts with LayerZero Endpoint IDs and declare an RPC URL in your .env or directly in the config file:
The key addition to a standard hardhat.config.ts is the inclusion of LayerZero Endpoint IDs (eid) for each network. Check the Deployments section for all available endpoint IDs.
The LayerZero CLI provides automated deployment with built-in endpoint detection based on your hardhat.config.ts networks object:
The CLI will prompt you to:
  1. Select chains to deploy to:
  1. Choose deploy script tags:
  1. Confirm deployment:
The CLI automatically:
  • Detects the correct LayerZero Endpoint V2 address for each chain
  • Deploys your OApp contract with proper constructor arguments
  • Generates deployment artifacts in ./deployments/ folder
  • Creates network-specific deployment files (e.g., deployments/sepolia/MyOApp.json)

2. Wire Messaging Libraries and Configurations

Once your contracts are onchain, you must set up send/receive libraries and DVN/Executor settings so crosschain messages flow correctly.
Production deployments should use multiple required DVNs from independent operators. A single-DVN configuration means a compromise of that one verifier results in unrestricted forged messages on the pathway. See the Integration Checklist for production DVN guidance.
The LayerZero CLI automatically handles all wiring via a single configuration file and command:

Configuration File

In your project root, you can find a layerzero.config.ts file:
Make sure your contract object’s contractName matches the named deployment file for the network under ./deployments/.

Wire Everything

Run a single command to configure all pathways:
This automatically handles:
  • Fetching the necessary contract addresses for each network from metadata
  • Setting send and receive libraries
  • Configuring DVNs and Executors
  • Setting up peers between contracts
  • Applying enforced options
  • All bidirectional pathways in your config

Usage

Once deployed and wired, you can begin sending crosschain messages.

Calling send

The LayerZero CLI provides a convenient task for sending messages that automatically handles fee estimation and transaction execution.

Using the Send Task

The CLI includes a built-in lz:oapp:send task that:
  1. Quotes the gas cost using your OApp’s quoteSendString() function
  2. Sends the message with the correct fee
  3. Waits for confirmation and provides tracking links
Basic usage:
Parameters:
  • --dst-eid: Destination endpoint ID (required)
  • --string: Message to send (required)
  • --network: Source network name from your hardhat config (required)
  • --options: Execution options in hex format (optional, defaults to 0x)
Example output:
The task automatically:
  • Finds your deployed MyOApp contract
  • Quotes the exact gas fee needed
  • Sends the transaction with proper gas estimation
  • Provides block explorer and LayerZero Scan links for tracking

Extensions

The OApp Standard can be extended with various messaging patterns to support complex crosschain applications. Each pattern functions as a distinct omnichain building block, capable of being used independently or in combination.

ABA (Ping-Pong) Pattern

The ABA pattern enables nested messaging where a message sent from Chain A to Chain B triggers another message back to Chain A (ABA). This is useful for crosschain authentication, data feeds, or conditional contract execution. Diagram showing ABA messaging pattern: a ping-pong style call where Chain A sends to Chain B, which then sends back to Chain A (A → B → A)

Implementation

The key is to nest an _lzSend call within your _lzReceive function:
ABA Pattern Gas Planning: When implementing the ABA pattern, consider these important factors:
  1. Encode return options in your message: Include the _options parameter for the B→A transaction within your A→B message encoding, as shown in the example above with returnOptions.
  2. Calculate total gas costs upfront: The source OApp (A) needs to know the full transaction cost for the entire A→B→A flow. You should:
    • Quote the cost of the B→A transaction beforehand
    • Include this cost in your lzReceiveOption gas allocation for the A→B transaction
    • Ensure sufficient msg.value is forwarded to cover both legs of the journey
  3. Example gas calculation:
This ensures your ABA transaction has sufficient gas to complete the full round trip.

Batch Send

Batch Send allows a single transaction to initiate multiple _lzSend calls to various destination chains, reducing operational overhead for multi-chain operations. Diagram showing Batch Send pattern: a single transaction from Chain A initiating multiple _lzSend calls to Chains B, C, and D simultaneously

Key Implementation Points

The batch send pattern includes several important design decisions:
  1. Fee Validation: Override _payNative to change fee check from equivalency to < since batch fees are cumulative
  2. Consistent Loop Pattern: Both quote and send functions use identical for loops to iterate through destinations for predictable behavior

Implementation

This pattern is particularly useful for mass updating state from a single call - allowing you to push data from one chain to many chains efficiently. Common use cases include configuration updates, price feeds, or state synchronization across multiple destination chains.

Call Composer

Composed messaging enables horizontal composability where a message triggers external contract calls on the destination chain through lzCompose. Unlike vertical composability (multiple calls in a single transaction), horizontal composability processes operations as separate, containerized message packets. Diagram showing horizontal composability: OApp receives message via lzReceive, then calls sendCompose to deliver a separate composed message to an external contract via lzCompose (A → B1 → B2)

Benefits of Horizontal Composability

  • Fault Isolation: If a composed call fails, it doesn’t revert the main token transfer or message
  • Gas Efficiency: Each step can have independent gas limits and execution options
  • Flexible Workflows: Complex multi-step operations can be broken into manageable pieces

Sending Side

Receiving Side

Composer Contract

Execution Options for Composed Messages: You must provide gas for both the main lzReceive call and the lzCompose call:
The _index parameter allows multiple composed calls with different gas allocations.

Message Ordering

LayerZero supports both unordered (default) and ordered delivery patterns.

Ordered Delivery Implementation

Important Nonce Management Considerations

When implementing ordered delivery, be aware of these critical nonce synchronization issues:
  1. Nonce Validation: The _acceptNonce function must be called in _lzReceive to verify the incoming nonce matches the expected sequence before processing any message.
  2. Protocol vs Local Nonce Mismatch: Functions like skip(), burn(), and clear() advance the protocol’s nonce but do not automatically update your OApp’s local nonce mapping. This creates a dangerous mismatch where:
    • Protocol nonce: 15 (after skipping message 15)
    • OApp mapping: 14 (still expecting message 15)
    • Result: All future messages will be rejected
  3. Solution: If your OApp needs to use skip(), burn(), or clear(), you must manually increment your local nonce to stay synchronized:
Best Practice: Only call these recovery functions from within your OApp contract, never externally, to ensure nonce synchronization is maintained.

Rate Limiting

Control message frequency to prevent spam and ensure controlled crosschain interactions:

Further Reading

For detailed implementations and advanced patterns, see:

Tracing and Troubleshooting

You can follow your testnet and mainnet transaction statuses using LayerZero Scan. Refer to Debugging Messages for any unexpected complications when sending a message. You can also ask for help or follow development in the Discord.