# Bridging There are inherent flexibility issues with **native** and **application-specific** chains when compared to traditional EVM chains. An application-specific chain is limited as it can not support a complete service that involves interaction between more than one application. Those problems could heavily damage the reputation of a project built on them. Our solution to this issue is to allow AppLayer-enabled blockchains to natively communicate with each other by using the Chain Abstraction Network (hereby denominated **CAN**) as a middleman, where AppLayer serves as an intermediary between two dApp chains trying to communicate with each other. We call that **bridging**. It's possible to bridge *arbitrary data* and *tokens*, both *between AppLayer nodes* and *between AppLayer and external networks*. ## How is safety ensured? The Validator and Sentinel nodes that read from a given chain are determined using RandomGen, the trustless decentralized randomness generator developed by AppLayer Labs. We ensure to keep a fair selection of nodes, however, there is a possibility of a 51% attack. For example, in a network with 100 nodes, if a malicious user controls 51 of them, and all of them get selected for driving a cross-chain request and a block, they could collude and forward any message they want. We avoid this by introducing Sentinels to the network. Sentinels are AppLayer Labs-powered Validators that ensure this collusion does not happen. Sentinels can not create new blocks, but rather work together with Validators to fortify the network’s security. --- # 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.applayer.com/testnet/how-applayer-works/bridging.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.