Asychronous Backing

A feature of Polkadot 2.0 that enables parallel transaction validation and block production, enabling 10X higher throughput for Polkadot projects.

What is Asynchronous Backing?

Asynchronous Backing is a technical upgrade to how Polkadot processes transactions. Traditionally, blocks were processed in a strict, synchronous order. With Async Backing, Polkadot rollups now submit blocks at any time, and the Polkadot Chain (aka Relay Chain) validators process them in parallel. This means the network can handle more transactions. It also laid the foundation for more advanced scaling features like Agile Coretime and Polkadot JAM.

How does Asynchronous Backing work?

Polkadot rollups submit multiple new blocks ahead of time. Polkadot Chain validators then process several of these blocks simultaneously. This is enabled by upgrades to the Polkadot Chain consensus and block validation logic.

Why is Asynchronous Backing important for Polkadot?

Asynchronous Backing is a major step forward for Polkadot scalability. By letting rollups operate more independently, Polkadot can support more activity at lower latency.

Benefits of Asynchronous Backing

• Higher throughput: Higher transactions per second.
• Lower latency: Shorter block times and quicker confirmations for users.
• Smoother upgrades: Enhances subsequent upgrades such as Agile Coretime, Elastic Scaling, and JAM.
• Improved resource usage: Rollups no longer have to wait to submit blocks.