Since the initial announcement of Portikus, significant research has been carried out on the intent-centric and execution space to deliver an experience that allows for complete trustless customization, which has always been one of the strongest appeals of DeFi.
With this in mind, we are proud to announce the initial rollout of the Portikus infrastructure with ParaSwap Delta as the first product using it. Unlike other similar intent-based products, Portikus has been built with complete modularity and customization in mind, unlocking the real power any agent-based execution can give.
Let’s explore some of Portikus’s most important innovations at this stage and how ParaSwap Delta leverages them to provide users with a new, secure, gasless trading experience.
Portikus Infrastructure: composability & modularity
Just like a Portico is composed of different columns connected, every use case in Portikus has different parts in charge of forwarding and executing the intent, which can be divided into three sections:
The first section is the partner-specific integration. Here, each partner will deploy their contract to connect to the Portikus infrastructure with their specifications and a relayer to filter and pass the requests to the Portikus network. Each new integrator will be able to customize their deployment to their specific needs and deploy their methods to relay and process intents.
Once the relay passes the request, it’s processed through the Portikus Network. This is the layer in which agents process, order, and decide who gets to execute, regardless of the chain it is relayed from.
The third and final section of Portikus is the Portikus Contract Set. This is the on-chain execution vehicle, equipped with various modules to fulfill endless use cases requested by integrators.
Within each section, Portikus aims to achieve maximum composability and modularity, allowing all actors to decide precisely what to execute and how. Let’s dive into each to explore the new functionalities fully brought forward by Portikus.
Modular Agent Onboarding
One of the biggest challenges when designing an application with delegated execution involves onboarding agents to participate in this execution. This process can be tiresome for both the application developer — who needs to onboard these agents into the ecosystem — and the agents themselves, who must adapt their codebase to include one new application. Portikus facilitates the process for both parties.
Whenever a new application is deployed in Portikus, it can access a list of System Agents already integrated into the ecosystem. This allows instant onboarding from the moment the application goes live, with a marketplace of entities willing to undergo the transactions specified in the protocol. There are two types of agents an app can choose from:
- System Agents: can fill out different types of Intents and work with multiple apps simultaneously.
- App-Specific Agents: work directly with an app and specialize in a particular use case (swaps, liquidity provisioning, etc.).
Even if Portikus facilitates the onboarding of existing agents, the process is not compulsory. Private onboarding is possible for applications that require a set of trusted or specialized agents, allowing developers to decide which agents execute the application tasks.
Plug-and-play Modules enable out-of-the-box use cases
Since the rise of DeFi in late 2019, one of Web3’s most significant strengths compared to traditional products has been its endless modularity, usually referred to as ‘Money Legos.’ With its module-based implementation, Portikus aims to bring this environment of maximum composability to the intents-based space.
A client App can deploy its settlement contract by composing modules based on its needs. The App can customize its implementation or deploy its contracts through a factory with already working and audited code. The process is as simple as deploying a liquidity pool on Uniswap V3. Anyone can develop new modules with new use cases for the Portikus contracts, ranging from fulfilling a requested quote to more complex use cases, such as managing a liquidity pool, bridging, or lending.
Thanks to this module-based architecture, Portikus empowers DeFi composability at every point of the process: from developing new modules to picking and choosing the contract strategies. As an example of the use cases this kind of composability enables, let’s look at how ParaSwap Delta will use Portikus as its execution backend.
ParaSwap Delta: powered by Portikus infrastructure
The ParaSwap Augustus contract set has enabled ParaSwap to be a market leader thanks to its Smart Order Routing functionality. Now with Delta, ParaSwap aims to implement a new optimization method through Portikus’ Smart Order Execution. To achieve this, all intent trades will go through a specific process:
- ParaSwap Delta relays a request: When an order is submitted, ParaSwap Delta relay(s) pre-processes the trade, and if it is valid, the request is forwarded to the Portikus Network.
- Portikus Network Agent Selection: Once the order is received, an auction is published to determine the winning Agent who will execute the stated intent. ParaSwap Delta will have its own App Specific Agents.
- Portikus Contract Execution: To execute the order, the Agent calls upon the ParaSwap Delta contract, which uses Portikus’ Swap module. This way, the agent will use all enabled modules to settle the requested intent on-chain.
Join the Modular Revolution!
The field of intent execution is here to stay, and it needs to be as modular as possible to accomplish everything we have learned from DeFi. For Portikus to accomplish this, we will need as many builders and agents as possible to help us create the modular future.
If you want to develop on the Intents ecosystem, please contact us on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/Portikus_) or at contact@portikus.xyz. We will happily answer any questions and help you build on the space!
