In the face of growing pressure on layer-1 networks to stay relevant, advocates of Ethereum propose a fresh strategy: the transformation into an Ethereum layer-2. Jason Chaskin, the head of app relations and research at the Ethereum Foundation, sparked this discourse when he suggested that most layer-1s are set to turn into Ethereum layer-2s. He referred to the recent metamorphosis of Celo as a useful case study.
According to Chaskin, Celo’s transition allowed the network to decrease inflation, streamline its code, accelerate block times, and integrate with Ethereum, which he described as housing “the largest dev community in crypto.”
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin joined in on Wednesday, providing guidance for those keen on developing layer-2 networks. Buterin reinforced and expanded on Chaskin’s position, stating that the optimal way to construct a layer-2 is to fully leverage Ethereum’s strengths, which include security, data availability, and resistance to censorship.
He suggested that networks could minimize their logic to being a sequencer and a prover over the core execution. Buterin encouraged layer-2s to simplify their processes as much as possible and concentrate on their sequencer, which determines transaction order, and its prover, which provides evidence of valid and correctly executed transactions.
Buterin contends that this method offers the “trust minimization and efficiency” that corporate blockchain developers in the 2010s strived for but couldn’t achieve. He stated, “Now, with Ethereum L2s, you can achieve it,” adding that there have already been successful instances of the layer-1’s features safeguarding users’ rights when something goes awry on the layer-2.
The remarks of Chaskin and Buterin underline a shift in strategy for blockchain networks. As Ethereum fortifies its network, they suggest that the most tactful move might be to cease competition with Ethereum and commence building on it.
In the wake of the Ethereum Foundation’s announcement to incorporate a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) into the network within a year, Buterin’s comments seem particularly pertinent. Sophia Gold, a developer on the Ethereum Foundation’s protocol support team, recently outlined a plan to substitute traditional block execution within the network with zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs). This would mean validators only need to verify ZK-proofs, rather than re-running transaction blocks.
