In the booming cryptocurrency world, Ethereum, as the undisputed leader of smart contract platforms, has long faced scalability challenges. High transaction fees and network congestion once hindered the widespread popularity of decentralized applications. It is in this context that Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions emerge, which significantly improve transaction speed and reduce costs by processing transactions on top of the main chain (Layer 1) and then submitting data in batches back to the main chain. Recently, the highly anticipated Layer 2 projects such as zkSync, Blast and Base have successfully triggered a new round of market trends in the L2 track with their own unique mechanisms and market strategies, attracting the attention of a large number of users, developers and capital, making the entire crypto ecosystem full of vitality and expectations. They are not only technological innovations, but also examples of market narratives and user acquisition strategies, indicating that the Ethereum ecosystem is moving towards a broader application prospect.

Recommended official website address of the global mainstream currency trading platform

• Binance Binance:
• Ouyi OKX:
• Gate.io:
• Huobi HTX:

Layer 2 Solution: The Road to Ethereum

The Layer 2 solution is an off-chain protocol designed to solve the scalability problem of Ethereum. They move most of the compute and storage tasks away from the Ethereum main chain, thus reducing the burden on the main chain. Currently mainstream L2 technologies include:

• Optimistic Rollups : For example, Arbitrum and Optimism, which optimistically assume that all transactions are valid and executed off-chain. Only when fraud occurs, verification and challenge periods are performed on the main chain through the fraud proof mechanism.
• ZK Rollups (Zero Knowledge Summary) : For example, zkSync and StarkNet, which verify the validity of off-chain transactions through zero-knowledge proofs and submit the proof to the main chain. This approach usually has faster finality.

zkSync, Blast, Base: New Star L2

zkSync: The Pioneer of Zero Knowledge Technology

zkSync is a Layer 2 extension solution based on ZK Rollup technology , developed by Matter Labs. Its core advantage is to use ZK Proofs to ensure the effectiveness of off-chain transactions without waiting for the challenge period like Optimistic Rollups, thus providing faster withdrawal speeds. zkSync is committed to achieving EVM compatibility (zkEVM) , with the goal of enabling developers on Ethereum to easily migrate existing applications to the zkSync network and lower the development threshold. The market has high expectations for potential airdrops from zkSync, attracting a large number of users to interact on their networks, participating in various DeFi, NFT and GameFi projects, greatly improving the network's activity and TVL (total locked value). zkSync's vision is to build a high-throughput, low-cost and secure Ethereum ecosystem .

Blast: L2 with native benefits

Blast is a brand new Layer 2 network created by Blur founder Packages, whose most notable feature is the Native Yield . By pledging users' Ethereum (ETH) and other stablecoins to protocols such as Lido, Blast promises to provide baseline annualized returns to users and DApps and return those benefits to users. This unique economic model is designed to attract liquidity and developers to build applications on their platforms. Blast utilizes Optimistic Rollup technology and plans to integrate ZK proofs in the future to further improve performance. The emergence of Blast and its strategy of emphasizing revenue have brought new competitive dimensions and user appeal to the L2 track, although its mechanism has also caused some discussion and controversy.

Base: Coinbase-supported networks

Base is a Layer 2 network launched by Coinbase, a well-known American cryptocurrency exchange. It is built on Optimism's OP Stack technology and belongs to the Optimistic Rollup family. Base’s goal is to become a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly Ethereum L2 network, and hopes to introduce Coinbase’s huge user base into the on-chain world. As L2 launched by large centralized organizations, Base has unique advantages in user trust and compliance and is deeply integrated with Coinbase's existing products and services. Base’s focus is to promote the popularization of consumer-level applications , such as social media, games, etc., aiming to lower the threshold for ordinary users to enter Web3. Its ecosystem is growing rapidly, attracting numerous projects to be deployed on it.

The competitive landscape and future direction of the L2 track

The rise of zkSync, Blast and Base is not only the success of their respective networks, but also the fierce competition in the entire Layer 2 track. They each represent different technical routes (ZK vs Optimistic) and market strategies (technical innovation, native benefits, institutional support). The competition in the L2 track will be more intense in the future, and may revolve around the following aspects:

• Technology maturity and performance : More efficient Rollup technology, especially further optimization of ZK proof and improvement of zkEVM, will be the key.
• EVM compatibility and interoperability : Whether existing applications can be migrated smoothly and seamlessly interact with other networks will determine the degree of ecological prosperity.
• User experience and cost : Continuously reduce transaction fees, simplify the interaction process between users and the L2 network, and provide a smoother experience.
• Ecological construction and application innovation : Attract high-quality DeFi, NFT, GameFi and other innovative applications to be deployed on the network.
• Security and decentralization : The long-term development of L2 networks depends on their security guarantees and gradually improved decentralization.

In addition, there may be more segmentation and specialization directions in the future L2 track, such as L3 for specific application scenarios, the rise of modular blockchain, etc.

Which track is the next stop?

To determine "which track is the next stop", it is necessary to analyze it from multiple angles. Technically, ZK Rollups is regarded by many as the main direction of future development due to its faster finality, and zkSync is at the forefront in this regard. From the perspective of market strategy, Blast's native income model has brought new narratives to the L2 network, and whether it can continue to attract users and liquidity is worth paying attention to. With Coinbase's strong background , Base has unique advantages in user acquisition and compliance, and is expected to promote the popularization of Web3.

However, the "next stop" may not be a single technology or platform. What is more likely is that the future Ethereum ecosystem will be a pattern of multiple L2 coexistence and mutual cooperation . Different L2s may provide optimal solutions for different application scenarios and user groups. For example, some L2s may focus on DeFi high-frequency trading, while others may focus on gaming or social applications. Interoperability will become the key to connecting these silos, allowing assets and information to flow freely between different L2s.

Therefore, instead of finding a unique "next stop", it is better to say that the next stop is the coordinated development and maturity of the entire L2 ecosystem, and it is the process by which various innovative technologies and business models jointly promote Ethereum to realize its large-scale application vision . Active exploration and competition among projects such as zkSync, Blast and Base are undoubtedly accelerating this process and drawing a broader blueprint for the future of the crypto world. Users and developers will choose the most suitable L2 network according to their own needs to build a more prosperous, efficient and user-friendly decentralized future.

The above is the detailed content of zkSync, Blast, and Base trigger the L2 market: Which track is the next stop?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!