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Integration Paths

This page covers launching your own token on Cardano. Bridging USDM is different: those contracts are already deployed, and using them is permissionless.

There are two possible integration paths:

  1. Use a reference client as shipped — mint & burn or lock & release, exactly as they are.
  2. Custom logic — your own chain_data shape or validator logic.

Both paths are built together with VIA. The on-chain half is open to inspect, and the reference clients are audited.

Integrations are not limited to tokens. The same message layer carries news, sports results, numbers, text — any data.

Why guided?

A working integration is more than compiled validators. Your integration must register in the on-chain project registry, and VIA's message layer must support your messages. You handle the on-chain side; VIA wires up the message layer with you.

Path 1 — Reference Clients as Shipped​

The fastest path. Pick one of the two audited reference clients and use it exactly as it is:

  • Burn & mint — for tokens you control. Supply burns on one side and mints on the other.
  • Lock & release — for pre-existing or non-upgradable tokens, yours or not. Tokens lock in a vault on Cardano and release when they return.

These are the two audited Cardano contracts. Paired with the far side of a route, they form the three patterns from the EVM docs: burn here and mint there is Burn & Mint; lock here and mint there is Lock & Mint; lock here and release there is Lock & Release.

You choose:

  • the token name
  • the routes — which chains it moves between, in both directions
  • the admin key that controls the integration

You compile, deploy, and register the integration yourself. Registration is authorized by your own credentials — the deployer's seed UTxO for burn & mint, or the admin key for lock & release. The admin key is a compile-time parameter: set it carefully. The reference client cannot change it later; a custom design can add its own key-rotation logic.

Routes are not fixed at compile time. The route allowlist lives in state your admin key controls. You can add or remove routes later without recompiling.

Path 2 — Custom Logic​

Some tokens need more than the reference clients provide. Two common cases:

  • a custom chain_data shape — the payload your messages carry
  • custom validator logic on the Cardano side

Custom logic needs a matching executor added to VIA's off-chain driver. We design that executor together. Scope varies:

  • A small change becomes a reviewed addition to the driver.
  • A large change becomes a dedicated project with VIA.

Either way, start the conversation early. Custom scope is easier to shape before you write code.

Plan Both Directions​

Every integration has a sender side and a receiver side. A token that leaves Cardano must also come back. Plan both directions:

  • Cardano → destination — what happens on Cardano, and what happens on arrival
  • Destination → Cardano — the reverse

What to Prepare​

Bring answers to these before you reach out. They shape the whole integration.

  1. The token. Which token, and on which chain does it live today?
  2. The chains. Where should it go? List every route you want, in both directions.
  3. The pattern. Burn & mint if you control the token and its supply. Lock & release if the token is pre-existing or not upgradable — yours or not.
  4. The admin key. Decide who holds it and how you protect it. It controls your routes.
  5. Testnet first. Plan a full test on Cardano Preprod. Testnet and mainnet builds are separate — a Preprod deployment never touches mainnet.
Keys stay with you

Never share a private key or mnemonic with anyone — including VIA. VIA never asks for your keys.

Next Steps​