# What Is Wormhole?

By [fairish](https://paragraph.com/@fairish) · 2024-02-02

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/0dad271e2fc2a6af204594017e10c1c8b74a556f0786a00e2cb5d8c56107502d.png)

Wormhole is a decentralized, universal message-passing protocol that connects to multiple blockchains. In simple terms Wormhole allows different blockchains like [Ethereum](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/), [Binance Smart Chain](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bnb/), [Terra](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/terra-luna/), [Solana](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solana/), [Polygon](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/polygon/), [Avalanche](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/avalanche/) and [Oasis](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/oasis-network/) to communicate with each other. It addresses two of the main problems that plague blockchains today:

*   Tokens are hard to move between blockchains without relying on [centralized exchanges](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/centralized-exchange-cex) for bridging and swapping tokens. However, this means users are subject to counterparty risk.
    
*   Decentralized applications ([DApps](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/decentralized-applications-dapps)) and [smart contracts](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/smart-contract) on different blockchains cannot communicate with each other, making [interoperability](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/interoperability) between chains difficult to achieve.
    

Wormhole solves this by monitoring several chains for messages emitted by smart contracts on those chains. This is achieved through the [Wormhole Core Layer](https://wormholenetwork.com/buidl/), a core contract deployed on each chain that routs the received messages to the target chain, the core function of the previously mentioned universal message-passing protocol. A guardian network consisting of 19 [nodes](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/node) secures Wormhole.

This system enables cross-chain communication protocols like token and NFT bridges, cross-chain [oracles](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/oracles) and other messaging applications that would not operate without Wormhole's infrastructure.  
  
  
Source:CMC

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*Originally published on [fairish](https://paragraph.com/@fairish/what-is-wormhole)*