Also known as the Technical Specification of Layer 2 Blockchain Scalability Solutions for Ethereum Virtual Machine Compatible Public Blockchains Project
Blockchain scalability solutions that are not native to a public blockchain such as the Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem are experiencing rapid growth around DeFi applications and the technical maturation of its solutions. Layer 2 scalability solutions in all their different technical facets have emerged not only as a solution to public Blockchain congestion but also as a way for Enterprises to utilize the advantages of public Blockchains -- security, data integrity, DeFi assets, and DeFi financial products -- without sacrificing data privacy and regulatory compliance.
Layer 2 scalability solutions are not to be confused with the OSI model Layer 2 protocols or data link layer. For the purposes of this standard, layer 2 is a secondary protocol that is built on top of an existing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain (referred to as layer 1) and is dependent on layer 1 for continued operation.
- Develop standards and methods for Layer 2 Blockchain protocols that minimize harm to EVM compatible public Blockchains. For example, support Zero Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) or do not reduce economic security assurances,
- Develop standards and methods for Layer 2 Blockchain protocols that optimize value along multiple value dimensions. For example, Total-Value-Locked (TVL), MEV, security, accessibility, asset diversity, etc.,
- Develop standards and methods for Layer 2 Blockchain protocols that further ecosystem diversity e.g. making EVM compatible public Blockchains attractive for enterprises, increasing the number of monthly users (MUs);
- Develop standards and methods for Layer 2 Blockchain protocols that reduce adoption friction for enterprises, tooling, and mainstream software developers
- Develop standards and methods for Layer 2 Blockchain protocols that can further equitable access and usage of EVM compatible public Blockchains. For example, low L2 transaction fees, transaction diversity in blocks, etc.
- Develop standards and methods that facilitate interoperability between applications and different Layer 2 Blockchain protocols, and among different Layer 2 Blockchain protocols and EVM compatible Layer 1s.
- Gather and document information about existing L2 EVM compatible public blockchains to understand existing implementations and how they would meet and relate to the standards that are being developed.
- Identify and document the most relevant use cases and business requirements for Layer 2 and other Blockchain Scalability solutions for EVM compatible public blockchains
- Define a technical standard with identification and differentiation of classes of scalability solutions as required that meet both ecosystem and enterprise requirements, with a particular focus on interoperability between Layer 2 solutions for EVM compatible public blockchains
- For EVM compatible public blockchains, identify, document, and devise solution approaches for Layer 2 Blockchain scalability solution specific challenges such as MEV, block (gas) limits, TVL concentration, etc.
- Identify and document characteristics of Layer 2 Blockchain environments for EVM compatible public blockchains that will be key in addressing mainstream and enterprise adoption.
Learn how to join and contribute here.
The current work items the WG is focusing on is in the Work Item folder and in this GitHub's open issues section.
The WG currently meets every other Wednesday at 7 am PT / 10 am ET / 16:00 GMT.
Please, reach out to Andreas Freund (a.freundhaskel@gmail.com) or Tas Dienes (tas.dienes@ethereum.org) or Dan Shaw (dshaw@ethereum.org) to be added to the meeting invite. You can add yourself to the mailing list by sending an email to this email -- eea-cp-l2+subscribe@lists.oasis-open-projects.org --, if interested to participate.
The meeting minutes of all meetings can be found here.
The WG primarily uses slack for real time communications. You can join our slack here.