Ethereum Scaling Race Heats Up
ConsenSys, the blockchain software program firm behind the favored MetaMask crypto pockets, has opened up the testnet for its zero-knowledge rollup to builders and customers.
Linea is considered one of a number of rising zkEVM options in search of to couple Ethereum compatibility with the safety and efficiency of zero-knowledge proofs.
ConsenSys mentioned dApps deployed on Linea will probably be simply accessible by way of MetaMask pockets. Linea additionally provides native integrations with ConsenSys’s infrastructure and tooling for builders.
Linea’s non-public testnet launched in January and processed 1.5M transactions within the first few weeks following its launch, in line with the mission.
L2 Season
Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem is turning into more and more aggressive, with Matter Labs’ mainnet launch of its zkEVM resolution on March 24 and Polygon following with the beta launch of its zkEVM on March 27. Linea additionally faces competitors from Coinbase’s new Layer 2, Base, and the forthcoming zkEVM from Scroll.
Ethereum’s scaling ecosystem is presently dominated by optimistic rollup options Arbitrum and Optimism, the 2 largest L2s by whole worth locked. Arbitrum and Optimism symbolize 66% and 22% of L2 TVL, respectively, in line with L2beat.
Rollups work by bundling collectively transactions on Layer 2 earlier than submitting them to the mainnet in batches for finalization, decreasing the transaction charges incurred by every particular person transaction.
Optimistic rollups rapidly rose to prominence because of their excessive compatibility with the EVM, Ethereum’s core good contract engine, however require a seven-day delay on mainnet withdrawals for fraud detection.
In contrast, earlier zero-knowledge-based rollups provided quick finalization however required builders to transform their code in native coding languages. Nonetheless, the brand new era of zkEVMs guarantees to mix the EVM compatibility of Optimistic rollups with the quick finalization and safety advantages of zero-knowledge-based options.
ConsenSys raised $450M in a Collection D funding spherical final March, bringing its valuation to $7B.
