Zipper Documentation
  • Introduction
    • Zipper Overview
    • Fabric Labs Ecosystem
      • Fabric
      • Polyester
      • Zipper
  • Core Concepts
    • What are zAssets?
      • What To Do With zAssets?
    • What Is Zipping/Unzipping?
    • What Are On-Chain Vaults?
  • Getting Started
    • Navigating Zipper.Trade
    • Connecting Your Wallet
    • Zipping: Step-by-Step
    • Unzipping: Step-by-Step
    • Zip/Unzip Fees
  • Developer Information
    • Zipper Architecture
  • Security and Compliance
    • Compliance Mechanisms
  • Vault Architecture
  • What Is TEE?
  • Glossary and Resources
    • Key Terms
    • Supported Blockchains/Tokens
    • Useful Links
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  • Zipping: Converting an External Asset into a zAsset
  • Unzipping: Converting a zAsset Back to Its Original Form
  1. Core Concepts

What Is Zipping/Unzipping?

PreviousWhat To Do With zAssets?NextWhat Are On-Chain Vaults?

Last updated 1 month ago

Zipping and unzipping are the core functions of Zipper, allowing users to move assets between external blockchains and the Fabric ecosystem in a trustless, transparent and fully collateralized manner.

Zipping: Converting an External Asset into a zAsset

Zipping is the process of depositing an asset from an external blockchain into Zipper’s on-chain vaults that is located on the respective chain and minting a corresponding zAsset on Fabric. This process ensures that for every zAsset on Fabric, there is an equivalent real asset securely stored in a vault on the original blockchain.

How It Works:

  1. The user initiates a zip request, which provides them with a deposit address for the asset they are sending (e.g., an Ethereum address for zipping USDT from the Ethereum network).

  2. The user sends their asset (e.g., USDT from Ethereum) to this deposit address.

  3. Once the deposit is confirmed on the external blockchain, Zipper mints an equal amount of zUSDT on Fabric and sends it to the user’s Fabric wallet.

  4. The original asset remains securely stored in the vault until a user decides to unzip zUSDT.

At this point, the user can freely use zAssets within the Fabric ecosystem, such as trading on Polyester or interacting with Fabric-based dApps.

Unzipping: Converting a zAsset Back to Its Original Form

Unzipping is the reverse process, allowing users to redeem their original asset by burning the corresponding zAsset on Fabric. This permanently removes the zAsset from circulation and releases the original asset back to the user’s designated wallet on its native blockchain.

How It Works:

  1. The user initiates an unzip request, which provides them with a withdrawal address on Fabric for the zAsset they need to send.

  2. The user sends their zAsset (e.g., zBTC) to the withdrawal address on Fabric.

  3. Once the zAsset is received, it is burned, meaning it is permanently removed from the Fabric network.

  4. The original BTC is then withdrawn from Zipper’s on-chain BTC vault and sent to the user’s Bitcoin wallet.

This mechanism ensures that each zAsset is always fully backed by its real counterpart and prevents inflation or manipulation of the supply.

Trustless & Transparent by Design

Zipper ensures that every zipping and unzipping transaction is fully recorded on-chain, making the entire process verifiable, secure and decentralized. Users can check their transactions and verify contract addresses through .

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