Asgard

Asgard is a cross-chain bridge and DeFi trading platform that demonstrates real blockchain innovation through practical implementation of complex protocols. At its core, the project showcases the power of Hash Time-Locked Contracts (HTLC) for secure cross-chain asset transfers, specifically bridging between Stellar and Ethereum networks. This isn't just theoretical—we've deployed actual smart contracts on Base Sepolia testnet and implemented live Stellar testnet integration, allowing users to move assets between these fundamentally different blockchain ecosystems in a secure, trustless manner. The platform integrates with real DeFi protocols to provide genuine trading functionality. Through 1inch API integration, users can perform actual token swaps with real liquidity pools, accessing the best rates across multiple DEXs automatically. The system connects to live price feeds via CoinGecko API, ensuring users always see current market data rather than simulated values. What makes this special is that every transaction is real—when you swap tokens or bridge assets, you're interacting with actual blockchain networks, using real testnet tokens, and generating verifiable transaction hashes that you can check on blockchain explorers like Etherscan, BaseScan, and StellarChain.io. The magic of Asgard lies in its cross-chain bridging capabilities. We've implemented a complete HTLC workflow where users can lock assets on one chain and claim them on another, with the entire process secured by cryptographic proofs and time-locks. The Stellar integration is particularly noteworthy because it bridges two very different blockchain architectures—Stellar's consensus protocol and Ethereum's smart contract platform. This demonstrates real interoperability, not just within the Ethereum ecosystem, but across entirely different blockchain networks. The platform also includes comprehensive transaction monitoring, allowing users to track their bridge status in real-time and verify every step of the cross-chain transfer process.

Asgard is built on a modern tech stack with Next.js and TypeScript for the frontend, Node.js and Express.js for the backend, and PostgreSQL for data persistence. The core DeFi functionality integrates directly with the 1inch API for real token swaps across multiple DEXs, while CoinGecko API provides live price feeds for accurate market data. The most technically challenging aspect was implementing cross-chain bridging between Stellar and Ethereum using Hash Time-Locked Contracts (HTLC)—we deployed a custom HTLC smart contract on Base Sepolia testnet using Hardhat and integrated the Stellar SDK for Stellar testnet operations. The bridging process involves generating cryptographic hashlocks, setting up time-locks, and implementing the complete HTLC workflow where assets are locked on one chain and claimed on the other using preimage verification. For wallet integration, we use ethers.js to connect directly to MetaMask for real-time balance updates and transaction signing. The system includes comprehensive transaction monitoring with actual blockchain explorer links, real-time bridge status tracking, and robust error handling for network failures. Every feature uses live blockchain data rather than simulations—real transaction hashes, actual wallet balances, and verified cross-chain transfers that users can independently verify on Etherscan, BaseScan, and StellarChain.io.