> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.eco.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Settlement vs Orchestration

> Routes fulfills intents in two modes, solver settlement (capital fronted) or orchestration (user funds routed through underlying rails at gas cost). Same Portal, same vaults, same API.

Routes can fulfill an intent in two modes using the same contracts and the same API. Most intent systems only do settlement; Routes does both.

| Mode              | What happens                                                                   | Capital required | Speed                                    |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Settlement**    | A solver fronts inventory and delivers the requested outcome                   | Solver capital   | Fastest, depends on solver               |
| **Orchestration** | The user's vaulted funds route through underlying rails inside one transaction | Gas only         | Bounded by underlying messaging finality |

For the conceptual frame, see [Settlement vs Orchestration in Concepts](/concepts/settlement-vs-orchestration).

## What this means for your integration

You don't choose the mode. The system picks automatically:

```
Tier 1: Solver available, better pricing → Settlement
Tier 2: Solver available, no pricing edge  → Orchestration
Tier 3: No solver available                → Self-solve via Local prover
```

Your code is identical in all three cases. Same intent struct, same publishing call, same status polling. The user sees one outcome.

## Why this matters for SLAs

If you're building on Routes for a regulated counterparty, the dual-mode design gives you a **bounded worst-case fulfillment time** that doesn't depend on solver liveness. The fallback is the chain itself.

This is the design choice that makes "best execution guarantee" a runtime property rather than a marketing claim.