Top 10 ETH Layer 2 Scaling Solutions

The Nifty Revolution
CrypticPedia
Published in
4 min readOct 12, 2022
Photo by Parker Byrd on Unsplash

Layer 2 solutions are used to secure, protect and transfer data between Ethereum nodes. In addition, they provide scaling solutions that increase the throughput capacity of a blockchain. In this article, we discuss top 10 ETH Layer 2 scaling solutions

1. Polygon

THE WHAT?

  • A decentralized Ethereum scaling platform called Polygon enables developers to create user-friendly, scalable decentralized applications (dApps) with cheap transaction fees without ever compromising security
  • Polygon combines the best of Ethereum and sovereign blockchains into a full-fledged multi-chain system
  • Over 19k+ dApps have used Polygon to scale their performance
  • Polygon is committed to fostering the growth of Web3 applications by providing the infrastructure needed for Web3

2. Optimism

THE WHAT?

  • Optimism is a low-cost and lightning-fast Ethereum L2 blockchain
  • There is more to optimism than simply a blockchain
  • It is an experiment on how to sustainably fund an ecosystem using money from the protocol
  • Retroactive Public Goods Funding is straightforward: if you construct something for the common benefit, you get rewarded

3. Arbitrum

THE WHAT?

  • Arbitrum is built by Off-chain Labs, a world-class team of researchers, engineers, and Ethereum enthusiasts
  • Enable parties to establish smart contracts by utilizing code to indicate how a virtual machine (VM) will work in order to carry out the functionality of the contract
  • Ultra-low transaction costs with high security
  • High transaction volumes that seek to drive costs even lower

4. Starkware

THE WHAT?

  • Starkware develops STARK-based solutions for the blockchain industry
  • Their products facilitate secure, trustless, and scalable blockchain applications
  • Starkware develops StarkEx, a standalone permissioned Validity-Rollup, and StarkNet, a permissionless decentralized ZK-Rollup

5. Uniswap

THE WHAT?

  • The Uniswap Protocol is an open-source protocol for providing liquidity and trading ERC20 tokens on Ethereum
  • It eliminates trusted intermediaries and unnecessary forms of rent extraction, allowing for safe, accessible, and efficient exchange activity
  • The protocol is non-upgradable and designed to be censorship resistant
  • The Uniswap Protocol and the Uniswap Interface were developed by Uniswap Labs

6. Loopring

THE WHAT?

  • Loopring builds protocols, infrastructure, and user-facing products for the future of finance
  • Users of decentralized finance (DeFi) need not choose between security and performance
  • Loopring has succeeded in proving that non-custodial technology can replicate custodial alternatives in speed, cost, and experience
  • The protocol aims to allow anyone to build non-custodial, decentralized exchanges on top of it by leveraging zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), a popular means of enhancing privacy in cryptocurrency

7. OMG Network

THE WHAT?

  • Enya is building Boba Network as a core contributor to the OMG Foundation
  • A scaling solution that reduces gas fees improves transaction throughput and extends the capabilities of smart contracts
  • The OMG Network is an Ethereum-based payment system that supports a variety of digital assets
  • Without compromising the security advantages of the blockchain, it enables users to access, manage, and deal with digital assets built on the Ethereum platform more effectively

8. ZKSpace

THE WHAT?

  • In order to hold the tokens customers deposit, ZKSpace will implement a number of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, which will also record and validate Layer-2 status updates and relevant proof
  • The native token ZKS is used to pay for minting NFTs on the L2 marketplace as well as to avoid costs on the DeFi token swap L2 Wallet
  • The key hub connecting on-chain and off-chain is those smart contracts

9. Skale

THE WHAT?

  • An open-source Web3 blockchain network is Skale
  • The Skale DAO oversees the Skale Network, which is run in an entirely transparent and decentralized manner
  • The Skale Network is supported, operated, and governed by more than 50 different businesses, organizations, and DAOs
  • A decentralized multisig approval held by several distinct entities and contributors is required for all fundamental smart contract updates

10. Gnosis Chain

THE WHAT?

  • Gnosis Chain (known as xDAI) is a blockchain compatible with EVM (Ethereum) designed to enable faster and cheaper transactions, providing greater stability, scalability and availability to iCommunity Labs’ iBS blockchain services platform
  • While it is centred around Ethereum, it uses a different method of consensus called proof of stake (PoS)
  • This method involves token holders giving tokens to the chain as collateral in exchange for the right to validate transactions

DISCLOSURE:

None of these articles constitute financial advice. Articles are highly summarised to make it easy for the reader and save your time, so please DYOR further before putting your hard-earned money into any product mentioned.

Please note that the tech industry evolves rapidly and the info in this article is correct at the time of publishing. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant,” so if anything sounds old or off, please holler on the socials or comment here so everyone stays peeled.

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The Nifty Revolution
CrypticPedia

From the keyboard of an entrepreneur passionate about crypto, NFTs & the blockchain. I’m Mo & my ramblings here aim to educate the masses on adopting Web3 early