A gateway contract was a chain-side program that let RenVM mint or burn one specific bridged asset. The key condition was that the asset and destination chain had to match the gateway you used.
- Each gateway tied one token to its backing asset and transfer rules.
- Moving Bitcoin to Ethereum meant a Bitcoin deposit, then an Ethereum mint.
- RenVM 1.0 shut down in December 2022, so old transfer instructions are not live routes.
Why give each asset its own gateway?
Each asset needed its own gateway so the contract could check and control that asset’s supply. For example, an Ethereum gateway for renBTC could verify RenVM’s approval before minting renBTC, and burn renBTC when someone requested a return to Bitcoin.
A shared contract could, in principle, handle many tokens. But it would need to keep each token’s minting rules, fees, and destination details separate. With one gateway per asset, the token contract and its gateway had a clear pairing: this gateway could mint and burn this token.
That pairing also helped RenVM process returns. When someone burned a wrapped token, RenVM watched the matching gateway for the burn details, including the amount and the destination address on the original chain.
What happened in a Bitcoin-to-Ethereum transfer?
Bitcoin-to-Ethereum transfers used a Bitcoin deposit address or script and an Ethereum gateway contract. The deposit side let RenVM detect the Bitcoin payment; the contract side handled the token mint on Ethereum.
Say you wanted to move 0.1 BTC into Ethereum. You would send BTC to the deposit address generated for that transfer, then wait for Bitcoin confirmations—blocks added after your payment. RenVM checked the deposit and approved the mint; you then submitted that approval to the Ethereum gateway, which minted the matching renBTC, less any applicable fee.
When tracing old instructions, remember that RenBridge was the interface for this RenVM deposit-and-mint process. The return trip reversed it: burn renBTC through its Ethereum gateway, specify a Bitcoin address, and RenVM would release the corresponding BTC after processing the burn.
What should you check before acting?
Check the asset, destination chain, and exact gateway together; a token with a familiar name can still be the wrong representation. A Bitcoin transfer also does not itself create an Ethereum token: the mint step must complete through the matching contract.
Each leg could cost a network transaction fee, and the bridge could charge its own fee. The amounts depended on network conditions and the route. RenVM 1.0 shut down in December 2022, so treat old RenBridge deposit instructions as historical; do not send funds to an old address expecting a new mint or release.
I would use a RenVM gateway only if the route is confirmed live and the asset, chain, and contract all match; for RenBridge, that historical route is no longer live.