L2 interoperability is imminent, Axelar offers new ideas
Original text: Ethereums Coming Interoperability Problem
Author: Sergey Gorbunov
Compiled by: Odaily How about
Sergey Gorbunov publishes Ethereums upcoming interoperability issues
The article points out that Layer 2 scaling solutions are entering a new stage. The number and diversity of blockchains on Ethereum will increase, requiring more advanced cross-chain features such as one-click transactions, shared orderers, and data availability layers. Axelar provides better data transmission between L2 by establishing an overlay network.
The following is the original text of the article, compiled by Odaily
Web3s Layer 2 scaling solutions are entering a Cambrian phase, where the number and diversity of blockchains built on top of Ethereum will explode in a new fragmented and complex ecosystem.
The seeds of this explosion have already been planted:
L2 extensions like Arbitrum, Optimism and Polygon are building the infrastructure to support application-specific chains, sometimes referred to as Layer 3.
Modular platforms like Celestia and Eigenlayer are breaking down specific components of transaction execution into separate components and layers (consensus, storage, and execution).
Rapid progress in zero-knowledge proofs is promoting the emergence of new chains that act as L3 or co-processors in some form. Some examples include Axiom, Lagrange, and RISC Zero.
However, a question remains: How do these chains and layers connected to Ethereum maintain interoperability? For applications, the ability to interact from one smart contract to another is critical to supporting functionality and using composable Web3 building blocks. The ultimate goal for users should be to be able to interact with all applications from one wallet without the need for chain switching to navigate.
This standard of interoperability has been a pillar of Ethereum’s success as an ecosystem: Not only can users easily switch between different protocols, developers can combine them seamlessly, combining functionality and network effects within the Ethereum ecosystem. How do we maintain these user experience and developer superpowers as Ethereum scales to be connected to hundreds or even thousands of blockchains? Read AxelarFoundationProposal to adjust the network economic model to maintain and improve validator incentives as the network scales.
L2 table stakes
The following are the security assumptions regarding L2 providing interoperability within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Ethereum will be the fastest growing settlement layer, examining dependent L2, L3 and modular chains for proofs and state transitions, with some prominent L1 growing in parallel, such as the Cosmos Chain and Solana.
Each major L2 will support its own chain cluster (Polygon Supernets, Optimism OP Stack chain, Arbitrum chain, etc.).
Some L2 ecosystems may have native interoperability protocols connecting their L3 chains.
Each L2 will establish a connection with Ethereum for settlement.
Each L2 will have a cross-chain bridge for token transfers.
Further improve L2 user experience
The above features alone cannot ensure that applications built on L2 provide a smooth user experience and allow developers to freely combine within the Ethereum ecosystem.
To achieve a level of interoperability that matches the level pioneered by Ethereum, the infrastructure layer requires more advanced cross-chain capabilities. Here are some key features.
One click trading
Today, most cross-chain activity involves moving tokens across bridges. But Ethereum users are accustomed to one-click transactions, especially when using Ethereum or native stablecoins.
A bridge alone is not enough; an arbitrary data network is required, with the ability to transmit function calls that trigger other on-chain applications. But that’s not enough: services also need to be provided on these networks to automate various cross-chain tasks.
As applications attract large numbers of users, the best user experience will rely on the following tools and services to handle arbitrary message payloads:
execution service, so that function calls do not need to be executed manually on the connected chain.
Gas serviceEliminates the need for users to hold multiple Gas tokens by automating multiple Gas token conversions across multiple hops.
Monitoring toolsAllows automated transaction recovery when applications get stuck between chains.
Quick Ending Gadget, so users dont have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for a request to be processed.
Today, the Axelar Network and Axelar Ecosystem Applications offer these capabilities: any data network for primary L2 via General Messaging (GMP); a set of services to automate cross-chain gas payments; and monitoring tools based on a full-featured block explorer ; Provides final service within seconds.
Shared sorter
Most L2 operates as Rollups, batching transactions at regular intervals and settling via a single transaction hash on the Ethereum chain. This connection to Ethereum and the ordering of transactions for the execution of connected transactions is done through a sequencer.
Each L2 has its own sequencer, usually operated by the core development team, which can become a potential single point of failure for the L2. To further simplify decentralization and enable the new L2 to be bootstrapped in a more decentralized manner, the concept of a shared sequencer was proposed.
As the world of L2 becomes more complex and diverse, this will evolve from a good idea to a necessary measure. The shared sequencer will run within the L2 cluster as well as between clusters.
data availability layer
Data Availability (DA) layers, such as Espresso DA, EigenDA, and Celestia, extend the paper on modular frameworks by storing large amounts of data on efficient storage networks. This can lead to cost savings: publishing data on Ethereum is still expensive (although the cost is gradually decreasing with the Ethereum Cancun upgrade and the launch of EIP-4844).
These layers naturally eliminate fragmentation within the application development stack. However, they require a combination of local and external technologies to maintain a simple development environment and reduce overhead.
The ultimate goal: network coverage
Achieving interoperability in the Ethereum ecosystem interoperating with hundreds (or even thousands) of L2 blockchains is a multi-dimensional challenge. Ultimately, users dont really care where their apps are hosted; they want cheap and reliable apps they can trust. The developers want to distribute it as widely as possible and provide users with a seamless experience. Web3 has the potential to be a simpler, faster, fairer and more trustworthy build environment. But to do this, we need to solve the overhead problem caused by L2 explosion.
Our approach to this problem set remains the same as it was the day we first conceived of the Axelar Network. Inspired by Akamais role in the early commercialization of the Internet, Axelar is designed to serve as a cross-chain overlay network. There will be multiple connection paths, but the overlay network is designed to provide faster, more secure, cheaper packet delivery with improved developer capabilities.
Axelar network development tools provide programmatic cross-chain networking similar to the orchestration available to Internet developers, with products such as the Interchain Token Service (ITS) allowing for simple deployment and management of tokens on multiple chains. On the core team we call thisFull stack interoperability。
This is a way to build Web3 that the existing Internet infrastructure cannot support. Together we can build applications that are easy to use and provide functionality that transforms our experience of the internet.
