Abandoning the definition of Layer 2: Vitalik’s new thinking on Ethereum’s expansion plan

Written by: Haotian

While everyone is arguing about the "DA legitimacy" of Ethereum, @VitalikButerin and others are discussing abandoning the definition of layer2.

Indeed, the naming of layer2 can easily correspond directly to Rollup, and since it is Rollup, it also makes sense that DA is not on the mainnet and is questioned as not being Ethereum layer2.

Ethereum's expansion solutions include Plasma, Rollup, Validium, etc.:

Plasma strictly limits DA to the main network; Rollup is relatively broad, and can be all DAs of the main network or mixed DAs. For example, ZK-Rollup will mostly compress and back up data to the chain, calculate in the off-chain environment, and finally synchronize the status to the chain based on ZK; Validium is more flexible, and the DA is completely off-chain. It only needs to submit SNARK proof to the main network after calculation to ensure data consistency.

In fact, these expansion plans areSafetyThe result of a balance between the three impossible triangle problems of security, decentralization, and scalability.

From the perspective of capacity expansion, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, Plasma is suitable forSafetyValidium is a second-layer payment solution with security guarantees, suitable for independent application chains with higher scalability, and Rollup can become mainstream precisely because it has taken a compromise tradeoff.

That is why Vitalik thinks that the definition of layer2 is too narrow.Xiaobai NavigationSelect Strong in Security or Scale preference L2 and Light L2Only in this way, the layer2 industry will not be restricted by Rollup, and some expansion plans such as Plasma and Validium will remain in the public eye.

So the question is, can’t we just let layer2 keep Rollup? Vitalik also gave an explanation (commenting on the 4 points mentioned by Vitalik):

1）Validium 比某些用多签治理的 Rollups 安全性要好，这其实暗指如果一个扩容方案采用链下 DA 但是结果以 SNARK 形式同步到主网，主网可以追溯并且确保数据的完整性和正确性。

这种级别的安全相比要靠多签治理委员会才能保证的 Rollup 方案，其实 Validium 更佳。虽然 Rollup 更受欢迎，但如果只靠 multisigs 来确保安全性，也是不被认可的；这是在暗指 Rollup 项目要尽快弥补主网 Rollup 方案依赖多签安全保障的缺陷。

2) Strict Rollups solutions will be more secure than Validium. This actually means that Rollup can ensure the on-chain availability and integrity of data, and Ethereum Validators have the ability to verify and ensure security. This is more direct and pure compared to Validium, which relies on off-chain security mechanisms.

It is precisely because of this that everyone pays too much attention to Rollup, making Validium appear illegitimate; this seems to emphasize the legitimacy of Validium.

3) The security of on-chain SNARKs + off-chain data is better than pure on-chain fraud proof + off-chain data, because on-chain SNARKs can at least ensure the consistency and integrity of off-chain data. If a set of data is made off-chain and only relies on on-chain fraud proof challenges, in actual application scenarios, the former is safer than the latter.

This is actually a criticism of some schemes that rely on fraud proofs on the chain and store data off-chain. Fortunately, such schemes are rare, and most data that uses fraud proofs on the chain is also on the chain;

4) Finally, Vitalik also emphasized that Rollups is not equal to Layer2, implying that there will be many opportunities in the direction of Plasma and Validium, and layer2 cannot be limited to the Rollup level. If not, the definition of layer2 should be revoked.

In my opinion, it is wise for Vitalik to come out and separate the definitions of Rollup and Layer2, because once layer2 in everyone's perception becomes Rollup, Ethereum will be passive in the face of the invasion of third-party DAs such as Celestia.

Let’s start with a high-level concept. If developers want to use third-party DAs like Celestia, that’s fine. If you SNARKs to the mainnet, it’s Ethereum’s Validium expansion solution. In addition, developers can also explore broader expansion solutions based on ZK+Plasma. No matter how the market changes, Ethereum always “defines” everything.

It is not difficult to see that Ethereum's Lego building is completely supported by Vitalik's far-sighted and forward-looking thinking!

The article comes from the Internet:Abandoning the definition of Layer 2: Vitalik’s new thinking on Ethereum’s expansion plan

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