• ConsenSys is set to build Linea, its ZK-rollup system, to the major Ethereum system.

  • Linea uses zero-knowledge ( ZK ) cryptography to offer cheaper and faster blockchain transactions, ConsenSys says fee rates, known as gas prices, will be 15 times less on Linea than Ethereum.

  • ConsenSys claims that it is not already working on Linea tokens.

ConsenSys, the research and development organization behind the famous Metamask crypto budget, plans to move out its layer-2 system, Linea, to the principal Ethereum network this week.

Existing Ethereum-based applications can be ported over without significant additional work because the so-called rollup network is known as a zkEVM, which means it relies on zero-knowledge ( ZK ) cryptography, one of the hottest blockchain trends this year. Rollups are regarded as a crucial component of the Ethereum cryptocurrency strategy because they lower costs and expedites transactions when compared to the frequently congested parent network.

App developers can start using Linea’s “alpha” channel on Friday, with the general public gaining exposure to it starting the following year.

Linea joins a number of new zkEVM projects vying to make Ethereum, the second-largest bitcoin by deal volume, more accessible with the mainnet beta launch. Due to the high fees associated with the use cases and templates networks, Linea and other rollup networks are expected to eventually replace the main method of user access to Ethereum, which are viewed as unpractical for many users and use cases.

” Because the gas costs on the part 2 are 15 times less than on level 1, many utilize cases become possible”, Nicolas Liochon, the global solution result for Linea, told CoinDesk.

ConsenSys is led by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin and builds some of the environment’s primary system, including MetaMask as well as Infura.

By shifting activities to level 2, Liochon said, “basically, we are able… by several orders of magnitude, the number of people that will be able to apply the network.” He added that ConsenSys remains “dedicated to Ethereum” and that” by moving over, we are essentially able to increase, by several orders of magnitude, the number of people that will be able to apply the network.”

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

Newer ZK rollups like Linea work similarly – bundling up large groups of transactions and” settling” them in bulk to Ethereum’s ledger – but their developers are betting ZK cryptography will eventually make them speedier, cheaper, and more secure than optimistic alternatives.

ConsenSys chose to make its network bytecode-compatible with the EVM, a technical nuance that could theoretically make Linea more user-friendly with existing Ethereum developer tools. Contrary to some of its zkEVM competitors.

Many existing layer 2 networks, like Arbitrum and Optimism, have “airdropped” tokens to early users after launching to the main Ethereum network. The tokens could be sold for a profit or be cast as votes to decide protocol updates, and an airdrop might be a way to spur users to try out new networks.

There has long been rumor that ConsenSys might eventually release a token for Linea. While Liochon would n’t count out the possibility of a Linea token, he said that if it ever does arrive, it wo n’t be for a while.

” What do we want to do? Do we want to get rich quickly, or do we want to build something”? asked Liochion. ” Yeah, basically, I think that we should build things”.

Ethereum’s rollup landscape

Linea’s launch comes after zkSync and Polygon, the first two zkEVM networks to launch on Ethereum’s mainnet, released software development kits ( SDKs ) allowing coders to clone their code to spin up their own rollup networks.

Developers will be able to use Linea’s code at their own risk, according to ConsenSys, even though there are no currently planned releases for an SDK.

Zero-knowledge rollup technology is new and still advancing. As Linea approaches its alpha launch, it will still have some central points in its system, which Liochon refers to as” training wheels” as a way to shield users from unexpected bugs and other issues.

For now, ConsenSys will still be the only party allowed to submit zero-knowledge proofs to Linea’s smart contracts on Ethereum. This translates to the firm acting as a sort of transaction traffic cop for the time being, directing transactions and assembling them into the bundles that it sends to Ethereum.

” If you’re fully decentralized, basically the idea is that anyone can submit proofs”, said Liochon. ” But you need to be 100 % sure that there’s no issue in your proof system. We’re not there yet”.

Edited by Bradley Keoun.

https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2023/07/11/metamask-developer-consensys-brings-layer-2-blockchain-linea-to-ethereum-mainnet/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines