What 1inch Is
1inch is a decentralized exchange aggregator. Rather than being one more place to trade, it combines liquidity from many decentralized exchanges and market makers and routes your swap to get a better overall price across blockchain networks. You connect a wallet, choose two tokens, and the aggregator works out where to source the trade.
Where It Came From
1inch was established by Sergej Kunz and Anton Bukov, who built a DEX-aggregation prototype at the ETHGlobal hackathon in New York City in May 2019. The parent company, Degensoft Ltd., was formally registered the following year. The 1INCH token launched on public exchanges in December 2020, alongside the creation of the 1inch DAO to govern protocol parameters.
The Protocols Behind It
The Aggregation Protocol is the original product: a smart-contract system that splits an order across multiple exchanges to improve pricing and reduce gas costs. The Limit Order Protocol lets users create gas-efficient orders off-chain that are settled on-chain, with support for conditional execution. Fusion, launched in December 2022, is an intent-based swap system that uses resolver networks and Dutch-auction mechanics to offer swaps described as gasless and resistant to front-running.
Expansion
1inch extended to the Solana blockchain on April 29, 2025, and added cross-chain swap functionality later that year. Because supported networks and products keep changing, the live app is the authority on what is available today.
What to Weigh Before Using It
An aggregator routes your funds through other protocols, so you inherit the smart contract risk of every venue a swap touches as well as the aggregator's own contracts. Always check the token you are receiving, set a sensible slippage limit, and be careful with token approvals, which can stay active until you revoke them. Start small, read the project's current documentation for the exact product you plan to use, and only commit money you can afford to lose. This summary is educational and not financial advice.
