Arbitrum, Optimism and Base weigh in after Vitalik questions L2 scaling model

Several layer-2 builders responded aft Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the archetypal imaginativeness of L2s arsenic the superior scaling motor “no longer makes sense,” calling for a displacement toward specialization.

In a Wednesday post, Buterin argued that galore L2s person failed to afloat inherit Ethereum’s security owed to continued reliance connected multisig bridges, portion the basal furniture is progressively susceptible of handling much throughput via gas-limit increases and aboriginal autochthonal rollups.

The comments prompted responses from Ethereum layer 2s, who broadly agreed that rollups indispensable germinate beyond being cheaper versions of Ethereum but diverged connected whether scaling should stay cardinal to their role.

The Ethereum ecosystem is grappling with a shifting roadmap that aims to marque the basal furniture much capable, portion L2s reposition themselves arsenic specialized environments serving chiseled method needs.

Ethereum L2 builders judge shift, disagree connected scaling’s role

Karl Floersch, a co-founder of the Optimism Foundation, said successful an X station that helium welcomed the situation of gathering a modular L2 stack that supports “the afloat spectrum of decentralization.”

Source: Karl Floersch

He besides acknowledged that large hurdles exist. These see agelong withdrawal windows, the deficiency of production-ready Stage 2 proofs and insufficient tooling for cross-chain apps. 

“Stage 2 isn’t production-ready,” Floersch wrote, adding that existing proofs are not yet unafraid capable to enactment large bridges. He besides supported autochthonal Ethereum precompile for rollups, a conception that Buterin precocious emphasized arsenic a mode to marque trustless verification much accessible.

Steven Goldfeder, the co-founder of Arbitrum developer Offchain Labs, took a much forceful stance successful a lengthy X thread. He argued that portion the rollup exemplary has evolved, scaling remains a halfway worth of L2s. 

Goldfeder said Arbitrum was not built arsenic a “service to Ethereum,” but due to the fact that Ethereum provides a high-security, low-cost colony furniture that makes large-scale rollups viable.

Source: Steven Goldfeder

He besides pushed backmost connected the thought that a scaled Ethereum mainnet could regenerate the throughput presently handled by L2 networks. Goldfeder cited periods of precocious enactment erstwhile Arbitrum and Base processed implicit 1,000 transactions per second, portion Ethereum handled fewer. 

He warned that if Ethereum was perceived to beryllium hostile to rollups, institutions mightiness motorboat autarkic layer-1 chains alternatively than deploy connected Ethereum. 

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Base frames differentiation, Starknet hints alignment

Jesse Pollak, caput of Base, said successful an X station that Ethereum’s L1 scaling was “a triumph for the full ecosystem.” He agreed that L2s cannot conscionable beryllium “Ethereum but cheaper.” 

Pollak said Base has focused connected onboarding users and developers portion moving toward Stage 2 decentralization, adding that differentiation done applications, relationship abstraction and privateness features align with the absorption Buterin outlined. 

Source: Jesse Pollak

StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, whose institution develops the non-EVM Starknet rollup, offered a little but pointed absorption connected X, writing: “Say Starknet without saying Starknet.”

Ben-Sasson’s remark hinted that immoderate ZK-native L2s spot themselves arsenic already fitting the specialized relation Buterin described.

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