Comparing the Cross-Chain Communication Protocols of EOS, Cosmos, AION, and Wanchain

Several high-profile projects - such as Cosmos, Wanchain, EOS, and AION - aim to be the ultimate "Blockchain of blockchains" by facilitating this inter-blockchain communication.

Cosmos is a network of blockchains built on the same Tendermint engine that can communicate with one another due to a standardized protocol.

These Zones connect to blockchains called Hubs - the coordinating blockchain that manages communication between all of the Zones that plug into it.

In addition to allowing interconnectivity between the different Zones on the Tendermint engine, Cosmos will also allow users to interact with external blockchains through Peg-Zones.

A Peg-Zone is a blockchain that forms a bridge to track the state of an external chain.

Like Cosmos, Wanchain is an independent blockchain platform that allows transactions between a consortium of blockchains and with external blockchains.

Wanchain uses proofs called "Vouchers" to receive transaction requests from other blockchains.

EOS achieves this by making one blockchain a "Client" of the other and authenticating transactions by using the headers of blocks on the other chain.

Unlike Cosmos, AION and Wanchain, EOS only allows for communication between EOS blockchains.

While it remains to be seen which cross-chain communication protocol will be the most dominant moving forward, it is worthwhile noting the numbers of protocols competing for this worthwhile segment of blockchain technology.