Features
This section includes a summary of the supported and planned features. It also includes a feature matrix which compares hermes to the cosmos-go-relayer.
Cosmos SDK & IBC compatibility: Hermes supports Cosmos SDK chains implementing the IBC protocol v1 protocol specification. Cosmos SDK versions
0.45.0through0.50.xare officially supported. IBC-go versions4.1.1through8.xare officially supported. In case Hermes finds an incompatible SDK or IBC-go version, it will output a log warning upon initialization as part of thestartcommand or uponhealth-checkcommand.
Supported Features
- Basic features
- Create and update clients.
- Refresh clients to prevent expiration.
- Establish connections with new or existing clients.
- Establish channels with new or existing connection.
- Channel closing handshake.
- Relay packets, acknowledgments, timeout and timeout-on-close packets, with zero or non-zero delay.
- Queries for all objects.
- Packet relaying over:
- multiple paths, for the chains in
config.toml.
- multiple paths, for the chains in
- Restart support:
- Clear packets.
- Resume channel handshake if configured to relay
all. - Resume connection handshake if configured to relay
all.
- Client upgrade:
- Upgrading clients after a counterparty chain has performed an upgrade for IBC breaking changes.
- Packet delay:
- Establish path over non-zero delay connection.
- Relay all packets with the specified delay.
- Interchain Accounts & Interchain Security
Relaying between Interchain Security-enabled chains requires Hermes v1.2+.
- Monitor and submit misbehaviour for clients
- Monitor client updates for misbehaviour (fork and BFT time violation).
- Submit misbehaviour evidence to the reference chain via
/broadcast_evidencetendermint RPC. - Submit misbehaviour evidence to the on-chain IBC client in a transaction that includes the
MsgMisbehaviourmessage.
Misbehaviour submission to full node not yet supported.
- Individual commands that build and send transactions for:
- Creating and updating IBC Tendermint light clients.
- Sending connection open handshake messages.
- Sending channel open handshake messages.
- Sending channel closing handshake messages.
- Initiating a cross chain transfer (mainly for testing).
- Relaying sent packets, acknowledgments and timeouts.
- Automatically generate a configuration file from the chain-registry
- Client upgrade.
- Channel handshake for existing channel that is not in
Openstate. - Connection handshake for existing connection that is not in
Openstate. - Telemetry support.
Upcoming / Unsupported Features
Planned features:
- Interchain Queries
- Non-SDK support
- Relay from all IBC events, including governance upgrade proposal
- Dynamic & automatic configuration management
Features matrix
Legend:
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| ❌ | feature not supported |
| ✅ | feature is supported |
Chain | chain related |
Cl | client related |
Conn | connection related |
Chan | channel related |
Cfg | config related |
.._Handshake_.. | can execute all transactions required to finish a handshake from a single command |
.._<msg>_A | building and sending msg from a command that scans chain state |
.._<msg>_P | building and sending msg from IBC event; doesn't apply to .._Init and FT_Transfer features |
Feature comparison between Hermes and the Go relayer
| Features \ Status | Hermes | Cosmos Go | Feature Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feegrant support | ✅ | ✅ | add feeGranter to tx sign for sending the transactions |
| Restart | ✅ | ✅ | replays any IBC events that happened before restart |
| Multiple_Paths | ✅ | ✅ | relays on multiple paths concurrently |
| Connection Delay | ✅ | ❌ | |
| Cl_Misbehavior | ✅ | ✅ | monitors and submits IBC client misbehavior |
| Cl_Refresh | ✅ | ✅ | periodically refresh an on-chain client to prevent expiration |
| Packet Delay | ✅ | ❌ | |
| Chan_Unordered | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Chan_Ordered | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Cl_Tendermint_Create | ✅ | ✅ | tendermint light client creation |
| Cl_Tendermint_Update | ✅ | ✅ | tendermint light client update |
| Cl_Tendermint_Upgrade | ✅ | ✅ | tendermint light client upgrade |
| Conn_Open_Handshake_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Conn_Open_Handshake_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Chan_Open_Handshake_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Chan_Open_Handshake_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Chan_Open_Handshake_Optimistic | ❌ | ❌ | open a channel on a non-Open connection |
| Chan_Close_Handshake_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Chan_Close_Handshake_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| FT_Transfer | ✅ | ✅ | can submit an ICS-20 fungible token transfer message |
| ICA_Relay | ✅ | ✅ | can relay ICS-27 Interchain account packets |
| Interchain Query (ICQ) support | ✅ | ✅ | interchain querying using ABCI |
| Cross-chain Queries | ✅ | ✅ | cross-chain querying between IBC-enabled chains |
| Packet_Recv_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_Recv_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_Timeout_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_Timeout_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_TimeoutClose_A | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_TimeoutClose_P | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Packet_Optimistic | ❌ | ❌ | relay packets over non-Open channels |
| Modular Architecture | ✅ | ✅ | defined interface can be implemented for different chain types |
| Cl_Non_Tendermint | ❌ | ❌ | supports non tendermint IBC light clients |
| Chain_Non_Cosmos | ❌ | ✅ | supports non cosmos-SDK chains |
| Penumbra support | ❌ | ✅ | supports Penumbra non-cosmos-SDK chain |
| Cfg_Static | ✅ | ✅ | provides means for configuration prior to being started |
| Cfg_Dynamic | ❌ | ❌ | provides means for configuration and monitoring during runtime |
| Cfg_Download_Config | ✅ | ✅ | provides means for downloading recommended configuration |
| Cfg_Edit_Config | ❌ | ✅ | provides means for editing the configuration from the CLI |
| Cfg_Validation | ✅ | ✅ | provides means to validate the current configuration |
| Telemetry | ✅ | ✅ | telemetry server to collect metrics |
| REST API | ✅ | ❌ | REST API to interact with the relayer |