AltLayer: Where Restaking Meets Rollups
The AVS is among the first few to have launched on EigenLayer, and comes with a product suite set to change the rollup landscape
What if you could use existing rollup stacks (OP Stack, Arbitrum Orbit, or Polygon CDK) AND provide your rollup with decentralisation, interoperability, and crypto-economic fast finality?
Well, with AltLayer you can.
The recently launched Actively Validated Service (AVS) facilitates the creation of native and restaked optimistic rollups and zK rollups that are customizable and modular.
AltLayer essentially offers elastic Rollups-as-a-Service (RaaS) to developers that want to be able to build and deploy an L2 with ease. (Think: a simplified SaaS system).
Users of the service do not need to maintain/host any part of the service offering, meaning there are no complex software and hardware management concerns.
And the best part?
AltLayer’s RaaS is a no-code launchpad, making the entire process low-cost, time-efficient, and easy (even for non-developers). It also comes with a design that supports a multi-chain and a multi-VM world which means factory support for EVM, as well as WASM.
Rollups are L2 solutions that batch txs offchain and then submit them in bulk to the main chain, thereby reducing L1 congestion and lowering gas fees.
Let’s dive into the tech
On AltLayer, restaked rollups have the option of adding services via three vertically connected options, that make them stand out from the rest:
- VITAL
This is a verification service, that checks and confirms the accuracy of the rollup’s data and that it matches the data of the main chain. - MACH
A faster finality service that confirms txs more quickly than the main chain the rollup is based on. - SQUAD
A decentralized sequencing service that order txs in both a random yet fair way, preventing manipulation and censorship.
Note that users can customize their products with these services and might not necessarily use all three.
Aside from this, AltLayer also offers a unique innovative rollup design called ephemeral rollups.
As opposed to “persistent rollups”, ephemeral rollups could be used to temporarily help reduce congestion on a dApp for a certain period.
Put simply, a dApp developer could quickly spin up a fast and scalable application-tailored rollup (secured by a Layer 1)… then use the rollup for as long as required, and then finally close the rollup by sending an “end-of-life” tx settlement on the Layer 1 where it was deployed.
The AltLayer Experience
Now on a personal note, I found a lot of the language around AltLayer to be a bit technical, so I decided to take a more practical approach and get a hands-on feel for the AVS.
I opted to try the AltLayer launchpad where I was met with a social login page (a refreshing change of pace from the usual immediate “wallet connect” prompt — although that did come later).
After logging in and then connecting my wallet, I was met with dashboard that offered a number of options for me to customize my rollup.
Seeing as this was a trial run, I deemed the “Free Trial” most appropriate, which creates an ephemeral non-renewable Flash Layer… that automatically ends after 2 hours.
This is basically a layer meant to combat congestion and thus reduce gas costs.
Clicking this option took me next to the “creation” page where you get to set desired parameters for the layer.
After doing that and clicking on the “create” button…
Viola! Your Generic Flash Layer is live (… for the next few moments at least).
Now bearing this example in mind… it is easy to see the appeal that AltLayer offers in its RaaS.
AltLayer Ecosystem
Taking a bird’s eye view and looking at AltLayer’s applications for the wider ecosystem, it appears that much of the excitement around the AVS is centered on what it could do for blockchain gaming in the near future.
The main reason for this is that gaming normally requires both low latency and low gas fees for it to be effective… which is something that AltLayer provides (and other solutions seem to struggle with).
The most significant development in this space is the announcement that AltLayer and Xterio Games are teaming up. The partnership will see the AVS launch a game-focused restaked rollup for the leading Web3 game platform and publisher.
Support and Funding
Aside from the gaming community, the AVS has raised US$ 21.6 mil. from a number of notable investors, including:
Recent Developments
Since its launch, AltLayer has begun its second phase of staking by allowing ALT token holders to restake their tokens for reALT.
In a nutshell reALT is an auto-compounding ERC20 share token which is designed to capture the ALT staking contribution of a holder and accumulate the compounding rewards earned.
reALT is supported by stALT (staked ALT token) and this is an ERC1155 token that represents the staking contribution of the holder in the main staking pool.
Cosmostation in Ethereum
Cosmostation empowers blockchain businesses by providing secure solutions and invaluable infrastructure legos essential for scaling and onboarding users onto blockchain networks. Securing blockchain networks requires continuous operational oversight and since 2018, Cosmostation has been providing a suite of robust solutions that enables businesses to contribute to blockchain network security and visibility without the overhead of managing infrastructure.
Since its inception Cosmostation has served over 500,000 users and has US$ 1.5 bil. in AUM, across 70+ chains. This is alongside its proud role as an Ethereum operator and Cosmos genesis validator, with 99% of uptime and no slashing events. Cosmostation’s experience in the Ethereum arena includes working with EtherFi, Obol, SSV, and the Lido DVT Module.
With this in mind, consider delegating your restaked ETH to one of the most trusted node operators in the space right here!
https://app.eigenlayer.xyz/operator/0x3303fda11d6bafe0833d6a6c44c2b8edbab92e4d
Mintscan
Moreover, Cosmostation offers its own blockchain explorer, Mintscan. It provides insightful interactions with chain data across various networks and also features a user-centric design, with transparency placed at the core of its ethos.
