What Is the Difference between an Atomic Swap and a Cross-Chain Bridge?

An atomic swap is a direct, peer-to-peer exchange of assets between two different blockchains without an intermediary, ensuring DVP. A cross-chain bridge, conversely, is an infrastructure that locks an asset on one chain and mints a wrapped, representative token on another.

Bridges typically rely on validators or custodians, introducing counterparty risk, whereas atomic swaps are trustless.