Layer-2 networks continue to make waves in the ecosystem. Optimism, the developer of the Optimism network, created a buzz with a blog post published on October 3. According to the post, the team announced that they have started working on a more decentralized and super-efficient chain compared to the mainnet. This test network is currently in the trial phase on the Optimism Goerli network.
The Announcement Made a Big Impact
Currently, the Optimism network uses a centralized design to validate transactions and send data to Ethereum. However, if incorrect data is sent, users cannot make any transactions to change this situation, which creates a security issue by allowing for fake transactions. The L2Beat team drew attention to this security issue in their report on Optimism.
Optimism and other Layer-2 networks like Base choose the Ethereum infrastructure to ensure security in their ecosystems. Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, argued in an article published in January 2021 that Layer-2 networks should provide transaction proof to Ethereum. Otherwise, this space cannot truly create a decentralized environment.
The OP Labs team expressed that the new system is resilient to such errors and thus, the ecosystem will move towards a more decentralized environment:
“The system is designed to eventually enable secure bridging without any central fallback.”
Projects Can Utilize the New Design
Additionally, the team announced that the new system is modular and will allow many Layer-2 networks to develop their own systems to prevent fraud. The system consists of three separate components: a fault-proof program (FPP), a fault-proof virtual machine (FPVM), and a new protocol. Since these three components can be implemented separately, it enables each network to create its own unique system.
According to the announcement, Optimism Superchain will bring more diversity and make the entire ecosystem more secure. The team also mentioned that the ZK-proofs system can be included in the infrastructure in addition to these developments.
The OP Labs team is working on creating a connected blockchain network called Superchain. For this purpose, they have created OP Stack, a set of software tools that can be used to create custom blockchain networks.
