What is Arbitrum bridge?

The Arbitrum bridge is a tool that allows users to move tokens from the Ethereum main chain to one of the Arbitrum chains (Nova and One). Offchain Labs rolled out the bridge as a layer-2 (L2) scaling solution to solve Ethereum’s scaling problems: slow transaction speeds and high gas fees. That means users that want to potentially enjoy faster transaction speeds, and cheaper fees, can bridge their coins/tokens to any of the two Arbitrum chains. For even lower transaction fees, you can choose Arbitrum Nova over Arbitrum One. However, keep in mind that Arbitrum Nova could be less secure since it’s not so decentralized. The Arbitrum bridge supports all Ethereum token standards.

Is Arbitrum Bridge safe?

The Arbitrum bridge, just like any other bridge in existence, is potentially vulnerable to smart contract and price risks. The former means that a smart contract bug could cause users to lose their funds. The fact that the Arbitrum bridge is still in beta means that there could be undiscovered bugs in its smart contracts. Conversely, the latter risk refers to the fact that as you bridge tokens, their value may rise or fall depending on price fluctuations. Other than that, Arbitrum One, which uses optimistic rollups, also uses Ethereum’s security. That makes it safer than Arbitrum Nova, which doesn't offer the same permissionless security.

How much does it cost to bridge to Arbitrum?

The Arbitrum bridge promises lower transaction fees. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem to be delivering on this promise. This could be attributed to the fact that the Arbitrum bridge is still in the beta stage of development and hasn’t finalized the development process, which will significantly reduce gas fees. That said, Offchain Labs started Nitro on Arbitrum One in August 2022. This is an upgrade that aims to lower transaction fees.

What tokens can you bridge to Arbitrum?

You can bridge most Ethereum-based coins and tokens like ETH, SHIB, LINK, BAL, SUSHI, UNI, USDC, USDT, WBTC, WETH, APE, and ALEPH to Arbitrum. Bridges make life easy for active crypto users by giving them access to multiple blockchains. Also, they allow users to possibly avoid the high transaction costs of blockchains like Ethereum by bridging to cheaper layer-2 (L2) chains like Arbitrum.

Can you send from Coinbase to Arbitrum?

The Arbitrum bridge is supported by Coinbase Wallet, Coinbase's non-custodial web3 wallet. That means you can bridge Ethereum-based tokens that you’ve stored on this wallet to one of the Arbitrum chains. However, you cannot connect your Coinbase.com account to Arbitrum or send crypto from your Coinbase account to the layer-2 network.

Can I use Arbitrum on MetaMask?

Yes. You can add the Arbitrum on MetaMask by simply adding it from the list of networks. Alternatively, you can add Arbitrum One or Arbitrum Nova through ChainList or Arbiscan.

How do you bridge Arbitrum to Optimism?

Go to the Arbitrum One or Arbitrum Nova portals to view the supported bridges. For example, Arbitrum One supports Across. Open the website and go to the bridge to use it. In the “From” field, select Arbitrum. In the “To” field, select Optimism. Connect your MetaMask wallet and pick the Ethereum-based token you want to move. You can also bridge from an L2 chain to another L2 platform since Optimism is also an Ethereum L2 scaling solution.

How do you bridge a Polygon to an Arbitrum?

Visit the Arbitrum Nova portal to look for a bridge you can use. Offchain Labs has listed Connext and Multichain. If you decide to use Connext, click on it to access the bridge. In the “From” field, choose Polygon. In the “To” field, select Arbitrum Nova. You can also use Arbitrum One with this bridge. Connect your wallet and select the Etherem-based token you want to transfer. This type of bridging is between L2 networks because Polygon is also an Ethereum scaling solution.