Critical Rollup Integrations to Build More than just a Naked Layer2

Rollups have emerged as a leading scaling solution. However, a standalone rollup might not meet all your needs. Many fundamental components are necessary to transform a basic rollup into a fully integrated, operational ecosystem.

The system of integrating these components with the core rollup infrastructure is straightforward; creating an environment where decentralized applications can thrive without compromise. While a basic rollup might achieve scalability, it falls short in other areas. However, with these critical integrations, it evolves into a dynamic platform capable of supporting complex, secure, and user-centric blockchain applications.

Hence, this article aims to explore the importance of each integration within the rollup ecosystem, demonstrating how they collectively create a more accessible, secure, and versatile blockchain infrastructure.

Key Integrations To Make Your L2 Rollup Efficient

Below are some of the critical rollup integrations you need to make your rollup efficient:

1- Decentralized sequencers:

Sequencers play a crucial role in a rollup ecosystem. They are responsible for receiving, organizing, executing transactions, and submitting transaction data into the block. However, if these sequencers fail to respond to the rollup ecosystem, it can bring the entire system to a halt. Therefore, if your rollup network relies on a single centralized sequencer, you are unknowingly exposing your ecosystem to risks such as censorship or denial-of-service attacks.

If centralized sequencers or DACs do not meet your needs, the alternative is to implement decentralized sequencers.

However, implementing decentralized sequencers is challenging. This is where providers like Espresso and Radius come in, simplifying the process. They offer rollups the ability to deploy decentralized sequencers easily, ensuring (i) a trustless environment, (ii) immutability, (iii) censorship resistance, (iv) resilience, and (v) fewer intermediaries for the rollup environment from day one.

2- Data Indexers:

When developing your rollup solution, it will handle a vast amount of data. Therefore, the rollup environment should be designed to quickly respond to queries. Indexer protocols act as the compass steering your rollup ship, providing access to non-trivial and hard-to-find information.

For example, if you want to know who holds the majority of X NFTs that are rapidly gaining popularity within the rollup ecosystem, there is no straightforward way to find this out without manually reviewing all transactions. Imagine doing this for millions of transactions in the rollup environment. This process is exhausting and impractical when querying millions of questions daily. However, providing seamless transparency to users is essential. Thus, integrating indexer protocols with your rollups is crucial for making your rollup user-friendly.

Indexer protocols like The Graph can significantly enhance user experience by quickly extracting essential information from your rollup for users and developers, thereby improving their overall rollup experience.

3- Account Abstraction features:

Using a rollup should be as straightforward as traditional finance. However, traditional rollups have only served as mere scaling solutions with no additional benefits. Introducing modularity in the form of account abstraction to your rollup environment will not only enhance the user experience but also significantly secure the ecosystem.

For instance, with a basic rollup chain, you cannot define custom logic in the smart contract to perform specific functions. There will be no payment on-ramp, nor simplified login options using email, biometrics, or passwords.

For example, if you want to offer a superior gaming experience where users can start a session without repeatedly interacting with their EOAs, you cannot achieve this with a basic rollup that only provides scalability. You also can’t easily make transactions gasless.

However, with a fully modular rollup that includes account abstraction features, you can program the smart contract to perform the desired functions. Biconomy, Halliday, and Alchemy offer an account abstraction SDK that can be integrated with your rollup chain from day one, providing a superior user experience for your community.

4- Alternative Data Availability Layer:

If you are using a traditional rollup that relies on the base chain for settlement, consensus, and data availability (DA), it can lead to unnecessary competition for block space on L1. This may cause congestion, impacting scalability and network fees. Therefore, integrating a separate DA layer is essential if you seek better control over accessibility, transparency, and data immutability.

Moreover, compared to Ethereum’s costs for acting as a DA layer, a separate DA layer like Celestia or Near is 8000 times cheaper, with the trade-off of simpler interaction. Hence, a cost-efficient DA layer that can be evenly distributed among different layers is a more advanced and rational choice than relying on the base L1 layer for settlement and consensus in the rollup environment.

5- Decentralized Oracles:

A rollup without add-ons like an oracle network interconnecting with other rollup environments can be detrimental to the overall ecosystem. How? Price discrepancies could be exploited unethically. For instance, the Compound Protocol suffered a $96.4 million financial fraud due to data unavailability with other partner networks. Decentralized oracles continuously provide the most updated data to all interconnected chains through the Oracle Network, preventing such incidents.

Additionally, these oracles serve as a protective layer for the rollup ecosystem by establishing oracle governance that monitors different rollup chains and records their last state root.

Therefore, if a malicious actor attempts double spending, the oracle governance can provide necessary details to prevent the chain from forking completely, instead triggering an event reversal. Decentralized oracles offer the advantage of resolving disputes without disrupting the entire rollup ecosystem. Solutions like Chainlink and RedStone track the last state root of the

6- Interoperability protocols:

When discussing a $1 trillion or $5 trillion economy moving to blockchains, it is unrealistic to expect success if blockchains operate as isolated entities. A typical Rollups-as-a-Service ecosystem should be extensively bridged with other rollup chains, with a squad-level DA layer monitoring all events across chains and providing a verifiable, cost-effective ZK proof to facilitate asset exchanges among various rollup networks.

Interoperability protocols like LayerZero, Axelar, and Hyperchain use mailbox messaging and a Decentralized Verifier Network (DVN) to provide information to rollup partner networks. They use an Omni Chain Fungible Token (OFT) standard that tracks and updates balances across multiple rollup chains, enabling seamless interoperability within the larger rollup ecosystem. For rollups to maintain effective communication with their partner networks, they must be able to pass on information cost-effectively, which these protocols ensure.

Launch your modular L2/L3 chains with Zeeve RaaS Platform

Developers building their ZK Rollups or Optimistic Rollups with Zeeve’s Rollups-as-a-Service can easily take advantage of seamless rollup integration. Regardless of the framework — whether it’s zkSync ZK Stack, Arbitrum Orbit, Polygon CDK, or OP Stack — these tools can integrate smoothly through the platform’s pluggable features.

Zeeve RaaS offers an enterprise Service Level Agreement (SLA) with a promise of 99.9% uptime, ensuring compliance with ISO, SOC2 Type II, and GDPR standards. If you’re planning to launch your own rollups, please connect with us. Our experts can help you identify the best infrastructure for your use case. Schedule a call with us today.