# Architecture Overview The Airlift operation is built on a dual-layer architecture that includes both off-chain and on-chain components, working together to enable seamless cross-chain token transfers. ### Off-Chain Components * API:\ Acts as the primary interface for users and integrators. It provides endpoints for discovering supported routes, retrieving fee quotes, initiating transfers, and tracking their progress. The API ensures abstraction and simplicity for applications interacting with the Airlift system. * Indexer:\ A continuously running service that monitors all supported blockchains in real time. It listens for relevant smart contract events (e.g., token transfers, bridging events) and provides the API with up-to-date data, such as route availability, estimated transfer duration, and gas costs. The indexer ensures accurate and efficient off-chain coordination. ### On-Chain Components * Airlift Smart Contracts:\ Deployed on each supported chain, these contracts are the core of the bridging mechanism. They expose functions such as `send(...)`, which initiates a cross-chain transfer. The smart contracts handle token-specific bridging logic depending on the token Standard. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.glacislabs.com/architecture-overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.