A significant trend is emerging in the web 3 industry, which means that the number of adherents not of cryptocurrency, but of a wide variety of crypto projects, is growing.
From the very beginning of their creation, the leaders of the crypto industry, and in particular the Ethereum blockchain platform, operated with a large amounts of money and it seemed that this was quite enough for their lasting and long-term success.
However, the problem of scalability began to manifest itself more and more acutely, and many IT companies and specialists began to think about how they could help Ethereum to minimize it.
It was then that the first signs of solutions related to scalability management began to appear, and the Rollups method rightfully took its destiny place among them.
It should be noted that Rollups provide a safe and targeted scaling solution, as they generate the best features of previous methods, such as L2 and side chains.
It is obvious that a large number of projects based on the Ethereum blockchain network are interested in optimizing problems associated with network throughput, and therefore urgently need not just Rollups solutions, but rollups as a service.
The Rollups Family
We already know that the Rollup method is aimed at optimizing the throughput of the Ethereum blockchain network, and when using it, transactions are performed on the external chain (L2) outside the main network (L1).
At the same time, the data on the results of transactions is managed by smart contracts and placed on L1. The result of this approach is a short transaction time, as well as low fees for them.
Another advantage of this approach is the fact that if something unexpected happens to L2, it will not have a negative impact on the contents of the blockchain, since smart contracts with transaction data are located on the main network.
The Rollups family includes two types: Optimistic Rollups and ZK-Rollups. Speaking about the fact that the Rollup solution should ensure not only the scalability of the blockchain network, but also its security, it should be noted how each of the two types of Rollups implement the security function.
Optimistic Rollups do not verify every transaction at the second level, since the network by default “optimistically” assumes that every transaction is correct, provided that no one disputes this.
Therefore, calculations only occur if problems arise and when fraud is proven. In addition to implementing its core principle, Optimistic Rollups offer a 100x increase in network scalability.
Unlike Optimistic Rollups, ZK-Rollups aggregate hundreds of off-chain transactions and generate a zero-knowledge mathematical proof of their authenticity.
This approach guarantees a high level of privacy, especially in public blockchain networks. In traditional blockchain operation, security is ensured by the fact that each network participant performs calculations and operations that are provided for by the blockchain protocols.
If the calculation results of the majority of participants coincide with each other, then such a network is safe and trusted. In other words, this situation is called “a blockchain network consensus has been reached”.
With the ZK-Rollups solution, there is no need to carry out calculations for each network participant, spending a large amount of time and resources.
By delegating this work to one network participant, all of them receive a mathematically provable statement of the correctness of the transactions while maintaining absolute privacy.
Rollups Problems
It should be noted that Rollup technology has several disadvantages, and one of them is the low level of compatibility of some smart contracts.
Composability is a weak point of Rollups, because if a transaction using multiple protocols is to be processed, it is necessary that these protocols reside on the same Rollup.
The bottleneck of Rollups is also considered to be that they provoke unstable liquidity of the Ethereum network, and this, in turn, leads to worse execution of transactions.
Despite the fact that developers are actively working on eliminating the shortcomings of Rollups, a considerable number of skeptics claim that some Rollups solutions may eventually turn into a kind of “Fata Morgana” of the Ethereum blockchain.
However, the creators of Ethereum do not share this point of view. They are full of optimism and believe that Rollup technology and, in particular, solutions related to ZK-Rollups, are the best answer to the challenges associated with the scalability and security of the blockchain ecosystem.
And devoted adherents of ZK-Rollups even position this solution as absolutely magical, which can change the “rules of the game” of the entire crypto industry.
There is also a lot of controversy about the assertion of some experts that Rollups can be hostile towards side chains and will gradually push them out of the blockchain.
Of course, there are some grounds for such statements, but most experts still believe that both Rollups and side chains will occupy their own niches and not come into conflict with each other.
Conclusion
Rollup technology, particularly Optimistic and ZK-Rollups, offers promising solutions to the scalability and security challenges of the Ethereum blockchain.
While there are concerns about smart contract compatibility and liquidity, the ongoing development and optimism surrounding these technologies suggest a transformative potential for enhancing blockchain efficiency and functionality.
