Overview

While Phonon is a crypto project, it's not a blockchain project. Phonon is not dependent on any blockchain, a zero-layer protocol. However, it pairs well with blockchains given the inherit use of cryptographic public/private key pairs and the nature of owning and transferring keys.

Phonon adds utility to blockchains by securing a private key that has ownership of an asset on chain and allow the safe transfer of that phonon, in turn, the safe transfer of that private key. This means when a blockchain crypto asset is wrapped in a phonon, we can now send, receive, and trade crypto assets off chain, without the history of those transactions on chain.

This is powerful.

With great power comes great responsibility. With it, there is an inherit problem that is posed. How do you know that that asset encumbered within a phonon is real? This is where external, phonon asset validation becomes valuable.

The phonon protocol does include or require asset validation, but asset validation provides a valuable step in the ecosystem of creating a layer of trust. You can learn more about asset validation in the subsequent pages.