Course Content
How to Use the Polygon Bridge?
The Polygon Bridge allows users to quickly transfer ERC tokens and NFTs to the Polygon sidechain. There are primarily two bridges on Polygon, the Proof of Stake (PoS) Bridge and the Plasma Bridge. Both can bridge assets from Ethereum to Polygon (and vice versa), but they adopt different security methods. The PoS Bridge uses the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm to secure its network. It supports the transfer of Ether (ETH) and most ERC tokens. It’s the recommended option for most users. The Plasma Bridge is for devs that need increased security. It uses the Ethereum Plasma scaling solution and supports the transfer of MATIC, ETH, ERC-20, and ERC-721 tokens.
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How to Use the Polygon Bridge?
About Lesson

The Polygon Bridge uses a dual-consensus architecture to optimize for speed and decentralization. It also supports arbitrary state transitions on sidechains, which are compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Cross-chain token transfers can be achieved instantly without third-party risks or market liquidity limitations.

When bridging tokens across the Polygon Bridge, there won’t be any changes to the circulating supply of the token. Tokens that leave the Ethereum network are locked, and the same number of tokens will be minted on the Polygon network as pegged tokens on a 1:1 basis. When bridging the tokens back to Ethereum, the pegged tokens on Polygon will be burned, and those on Ethereum will be unlocked during the process.

There are two types of bridge on Polygon for asset transfer, the Proof of Stake (PoS) Bridge and the Plasma Bridge. The PoS Bridge, as the name suggests, adopts the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm to secure its network. Deposits on the PoS Bridge are completed almost instantly, but withdrawals may take a while to confirm. The PoS Bridge supports the transfer of ether (ETH) and most ERC tokens.
On the other hand, the Plasma Bridge supports the transfer of Polygon’s native token MATIC and certain Ethereum tokens (ETH, ERC-20, and ERC-721). It uses the Ethereum Plasma scaling solution to offer increased security. Please refer to the official documentation for more technical details.