MetaMask developer ConsenSys introduces layer 2 blockchain “Linea” to Ethereum mainnet

• ConsenSys plans to bring its ZK rollup network, Linea, to the main Ethereum network.

• Linea uses zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography to provide cheaper and faster blockchain transactions. ConsenSys says the fee rate, known as the gas price, will be 15 times lower on Linea than on Ethereum.

• ConsenSys says there are no plans for Linea tokens at this time.

ConsenSys, the research and development company behind the popular MetaMask crypto wallet, plans to roll out its layer 2 network Linea to the main Ethereum network this week.

The so-called rollup network is known as zkEVM. This means it relies on zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography, one of the hottest blockchain trends of the year, and is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) programming environment, so you can use existing Ethereum-based applications can be ported without significant additional work. Rollups are considered a key element of the Ethereum blockchain roadmap because they offer users cheaper and faster transactions compared to the often congested parent network.

App developers will be able to deploy their projects to Linea's “alpha” network on Friday, and the general public will have access from next week.

With the launch of mainnet alpha, Linea joins a series of recent zkEVM projects vying to expand accessibility to Ethereum, the second largest blockchain by transaction volume. Rollup networks like Linea are expected to eventually become the primary way for users to access Ethereum, but their high fees make them impractical for many users and use cases. I am.

“Layer 2 gas prices are 15 times lower than layer 1, which enables many use cases,” Nicolas Liochon, global product lead at Linea, told CoinDesk.

ConsenSys is led by Ethereum co-founder Joe Rubin and has built some of the ecosystem's core infrastructure, including MetaMask and Infura.

Emphasizing that ConsenSys remains “Ethereum-only,” Riochon said, “By moving activity to Layer 2, we can essentially increase the number of people who can use the network by orders of magnitude.” said.

The first Ethereum rollups to hit the market, Optimism and Arbitrum, were so-called “optimistic” rollups and were based on slightly different technology with the drawback of long settlement times.

Newer ZK rollups like Linea work similarly, bundling together large groups of transactions and “settling” them together on the Ethereum ledger. However, its developers are confident that ZK encryption will eventually become faster, cheaper, and more secure than the optimistic alternative.

Unlike some zkEVM competitors, ConsenSys has chosen to make its network bytecode compatible with EVM. This is a technical nuance that theoretically makes Linea easier to use with existing Ethereum developer tools.

Many existing layer 2 networks, such as Arbitrum and Optimism, “airdropped” tokens to early users after launching on the main Ethereum network. Tokens may be sold for quick profits or used as votes to govern protocol updates. Teasing the possibility of an airdrop is seen as a way to encourage users to try a new network.

There has long been speculation that ConsenSys would eventually launch a token for Linea. Riochon did not consider the possibility of a Linea token, but said that if it were to appear, it would not be around for a while.

“What do we want to do? Do we want to get rich quick or build something?” Lyocion asked. “Well, basically I think you should make things.”

Ethereum rollup status

The launch of Linea marks the first two zkEVM networks to launch on Ethereum's mainnet, zkSync and Polygon, a software development that allows programmers to clone the code and launch their own rollup networks. This was done after releasing the kit (SDK).

According to ConsenSys, Linea will be fully open source in the coming weeks, allowing developers to freely use its code (although ConsenSys has no current plans to release an SDK).

Although zero-knowledge rollup technology is new, it is still evolving. As Linea enters its alpha launch, the system will have certain centralized points of control (which Liochon calls “training wheels”) as a way to protect users from unexpected bugs and other issues. ) still exists.

For now, ConsenSys will be the only party able to submit zero-knowledge proofs to Linea's smart contracts on Ethereum. In layman's terms, this means that the company will, for now, act as a kind of transaction traffic cop, directing transactions and packaging them into bundles that are sent to Ethereum.

“The idea is that if it's completely decentralized, basically anyone can submit evidence,” Riochon said. “But we need to be 100% sure that the proof system is OK. We're not there yet.”