Interchain-OS: A Modular Framework for Secure Cross-Chain Interoperability in Public Blockchain Networks

The rapid expansion of blockchain ecosystems—with platforms adopting diverse consensus protocols and execution environments—has heightened the demand for robust, adaptable interoperability mechanisms in the Web3 landscape. Conventional cross-chain solutions, such as Hash Time-Lock Contracts (HTLCs), token bridges, and notary-based systems, often face critical limitations in decentralization, scalability, and security, particularly in complex multi-chain environments. This paper introduces Interchain-OS, a modular, trust-minimized interoperability framework designed to enable secure and efficient communication across heterogeneous blockchain networks without compromising their autonomy. The architecture integrates zero-knowledge light clients, programmable threshold signatures, and a dynamic relay coordination protocol to ensure atomic cross-chain synchronization without centralized dependencies. Additionally, Interchain-OS employs a confidence-based verification layer using recursive SNARKs and lattice-based cryptography to enhance security, privacy, and censorship resistance. Beyond asset transfers, the framework supports semantic interoperability, decentralized identity propagation, and policy-driven smart contract execution. Experimental deployment on Ethereum, Polkadot, and Cosmos testnets demonstrated a 4.8× improvement in throughput, an 83% reduction in trust reliance, and preserved validator independence. These results highlight the limitations of legacy models and underscore the need for context-aware, scalable interoperability frameworks. Interchain-OS paves the way toward a unified, decentralized multichain internet, supporting next-generation applications in DeFi, AI collaboration, and digital governance.