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The secure backbone of Polkadot

The Polkadot Chain (aka Relay Chain) is Polkadot’s core protocol layer—a high-performance foundation that secures, connects, and coordinates every chain in the network.

One network. One trust layer.
Unlimited scale.

Most blockchains make you choose between speed, security, or connectivity. The Polkadot Chain gives you all three—in one unified foundation with massive scalability.

Shared security

A multi-billion-dollar NPoS validator set secures all connected chains, eliminating the need to run your own validator network.

Native interoperability

XCM enables secure, trustless asset, data, and call exchange between chains — no fragile bridges or wrapped tokens.

Scalability by design

Rollups run in parallel so performance grows with the network instead of slowing it down.

Reliable consensus

BABE and GRANDPA produce and finalize blocks within seconds, keeping the network synchronized and tamper-proof.

The architecture behind the Polkadot Chain

The Polkadot Chain provides consensus, validator scheduling, and cross-chain messaging — leaving execution and scaling to connected chains.

Consensus & finality

BABE assigns block producers, GRANDPA finalizes blocks securely, and BEEFY enables external verification.

Validator network

Validators secure all chains, with nominators, collators, and fishermen supporting block production and integrity.

Blockspace allocation

Schedules execution for connected chains, ensuring predictable workloads and efficient scaling.

XCM

XCM moves assets, data, and calls seamlessly between chains without fragile bridges.

On-chain dispute resolution

Flags and resolves invalid blocks directly at the protocol level.

What the Polkadot Chain unlocks
for builders

Skip bootstrapping your own validator set or interoperability layer.

Launch faster

Skip bootstrapping your own validator set or interoperability layer.

Reduce costs

Eliminate the need for separate infrastructure with shared security and consensus.

Expand reach

Instantly tap into liquidity, users, and services from other rollups.

Adapt seamlessly

Upgrade without downtime and scale effortlessly as demand grows.

Build on Polkadot’s core foundation

The Polkadot Chain secures every connected chain, providing the trust layer that scales and evolves
as your project grows.

Explore the platform

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