What is a Sidechain?. A sidechain is an independent blockchain that runs alongside a main chain, connected by a bridge. It trades some security assumptions for speed or features.
How it works
Assets lock on the main chain and mint representations on the sidechain. Validators maintain the sidechain’s ledger under its own rules.
Why it matters
Sidechains let projects experiment and scale without overloading the main network.
Common pitfalls
- Confusing sidechains with L2s—they do not always inherit L1 security
- Trusting centralized bridge operators
- Sending assets without verifying the official bridge
Quick example
A game mints items on a sidechain for faster transfers, then lets users withdraw to the main chain marketplace.
See also
- Layer 2
- Bridge
- Tokenization
TL;DR: What is a Sidechain? defined in plain English with practical next steps.
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