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Optimism

61 pieces · May 2022 to Jan 2026 · 11 flagship

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L1/L255 Ethereum39 ZK9 DeFi5 Tooling3 DePIN2

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Start here · the strongest pieces on Optimism

Thesis26 Jul 2023L2 guide: which ecosystems stand out (Arbitrum, Scroll, Polygon zkEVM, zkSync)Assesses leading L2 ecosystems by tech, decentralization and growth drivers, with Arbitrum (Orbit, Stylus), Scroll (type 2 zkEVM), Polygon (plonky3, interop layer) and zkSync (Boojum, ZK Stack, zkPorter). Holds zk as the endgame.Breakdown01 Dec 2023Kroma deep dive: hybrid OP Stack rollup with ZK fraud proofsDeep dive on Kroma, an OP Stack rollup with permissionless fault proofs live and ZK fraud proofs via a Scroll-based zkEVM, a planned move to zk rollup, and distribution through WEMADE and WEMIX gaming.Map28 Aug 2023L2/L3 execution layer framework: ten rollup stacks and their thesesWork-in-progress framework summarizing each major rollup stack's thesis, e.g. fractal L3 scaling on Starknet, recursive L3 zk rollups on zkSync, Superchain shared sequencing on Optimism and EigenDA outsourcing on Mantle, with links to deeper threads.

Timeline · every piece, newest first

2026 1

05 Jan 20262025 chain revenue ranking: Solana, Hyperliquid, Tron and EthereumHyperliquid's $816M revenue topped Ethereum and Tron and every L2, with no VC funding. Ethereum's fee compression shows blobs working, while L2 revenue lags L1s by a wide margin.DataHyperliquidL1/L2Solana27 likes

2025 1

05 Jun 2025Two-year TVL comparison: Berachain, Hyperliquid, Sui, Sonic, Base, ArbitrumReads a DefiLlama TVL chart: Berachain looks like a pump and dump, Hyperliquid is about to overtake Sui, Optimism's mainnet TVL fell as the Superchain shifted activity to Base, Sonic TVL fell after its airdrop, Base and Arbitrum stay strong.DataDeFiL1/L232 likes

2024 24

12 Sep 2024Stage 0 vs Stage 1 rollups and Vitalik's stage 1 requirementExplains the differences between stage 0 and stage 1 rollups after Vitalik said he would only mention stage 1+ L2s from next year. Stage 1 requires a proof system, stricter multisig, security council override and upgrade delays.ExplainerL1/L2Ethereum25 likes

06 Sep 2024Skate: universal execution layer for stateless apps across chainsExplains Skate's kernel and periphery architecture: app logic on the Nollie chain (OP stack) with per-chain periphery contracts, and intents settled by executors and pre-confirmed by an EigenLayer AVS. Argues single-deployment, VM-agnostic apps unify liquidity and improve UX.ExplainerToolingEthereum37 likes

01 Aug 2024Movement thesis: parallel MoveVM and Move<>EVM composability as an AltVM betLists why Movement is a big bet: $38M Series A, Binance Labs backing, over 40 apps on testnet day 0, parallel MoveVM with 1000s of TPS and Move<>EVM composability. Frames it as a cheaper, more performant Optimism and Superchain equivalent.ThesisL1/L211 likes

21 Jul 2024L1 vs L2 TVL takeaways: Base and Blast lead, Scroll overtakes Aptos and SuiAggregated TVL chart (excluding Solana >$5B and Arbitrum >$3B) shows Base ($1.8B, +12% MoM) and Blast (-33% MoM post-airdrop) in their own league. TON levels with Optimism at $780M and Scroll ($670M) passes Aptos, Sui and Mantle.DataL1/L213 likes

20 Jul 2024TVL wars charts: alt L1s vs L2s, and Solana vs OP, Arbitrum, BaseTwo TVL charts framing alt L1s against L2s: Aptos, Sui and Sei vs Scroll and Mantle, and Solana vs Arbitrum, Optimism and Base. The post itself gives no takeaways.DataL1/L224 likes

19 Jul 2024Cross-chain flows, 3 months: $1.75B net outflow from Ethereum to L2sArtemis data shows $1.75B net outflows from Ethereum over three months, with inflows of $1B to Optimism, $664M to Arbitrum and $300M to Base. Asks whether L2 season is coming.DataEthereumL1/L223 likes

15 Jul 2024Why EVM L1s are ending: Celo's move to an OP Stack L2Backs the claim that EVM-compatible L1s lose to L2s, using Celo: an OP Stack L2 with EigenDA would cut block time from 5s to 2s, raise throughput 50% and keep 1-block finality and fee abstraction. Celo chose L1 because 2020 L2s were too costly.ThesisL1/L2Ethereum20 likes

03 Jul 2024Radius: Shared Sequencing powered by EigenLayerLong-form on why centralized sequencers hurt censorship resistance, liveness and safety, and how Radius's encrypted mempool (PVDE then SKDE) and EigenLayer AVS deliver MEV-resistant shared sequencing and cross-rollup composability.ArticleL1/L2Ethereum19 likes

28 Jun 2024Optimism Superchain explained: OP Stack, shared sequencing and RaaSExplains the OP Superchain: shared governance, sequencer revenue sharing and atomic cross-chain interop via a shared sequencer, plus the role of Rollup-as-a-Service providers. Argues OP is a multichain ecosystem, not just OP Mainnet, despite a 60% drawdown from its ATH.ExplainerL1/L237 likes

07 Jun 2024Cross-chain bridge flows: Arbitrum, Optimism and Base lead 30-day inflowsUses Artemis and DefiLlama bridge data to track where liquidity moves. Ethereum originates 78.1% of bridge volume and Arbitrum, Optimism and Base capture 72% of destination flows, with zkSync net flows only slightly positive despite the pending ZK token.DataL1/L2DeFi16 likes

01 Jun 2024RISC Zero Universal Verifier coming to Ethereum, Base, Optimism and ArbitrumExplains why general purpose zkVMs matter: R0 proves arbitrary Rust code without custom circuits, and the Universal Verifier lets any chain verify those proofs. Links Zeth's provable Optimism block building to simpler fault proofs and eventual validity proofs on the OP Stack.ExplainerZKL1/L256 likes

26 May 2024RISC Zero: Zeth for the OP Stack and Steel ZK coprocessorCovers RISC Zero's Zeth, a Type-1 zkEVM that can provably build Ethereum and now Optimism blocks, and Steel, a view call proof library that gives the ZK coprocessor access to Ethereum state without writing circuits. Notes the trusted setup concluded on the road to zkVM 1.0.ExplainerZKL1/L224 likes

18 May 2024Why Ankr RaaS can win the app-chain summerArgues Rollup-as-a-Service is the catalyst for app-chains and Ankr will gain share because it already runs a global node and RPC network, unlike nascent competitors. Lists supported stacks (OP Stack, Orbit, ZK Stack, Fluentbase, Polygon CDK) and DA and interop integrations.ThesisL1/L2DePIN26 likes

01 May 2024Optimism Superchain thesis: OP Stack and the Stack WarsSummarizes Redacted Research's Superchain report: chains on the OP Stack opt into shared governance and sequencer revenue sharing, with a shared bridge and synchronous upgrades. Flags that no live fault proofs exist on mainnet yet, so users trust the centralized sequencer.BreakdownL1/L2Ethereum38 likes

23 Apr 2024RISC Zero explained: zkVM, verifiable computation and the trusted setupExplains RISC Zero's RISC-V zkVM, which lets developers write ZK apps in Rust without circuits, with use cases like ZK coprocessors and ZK fraud proofs for Optimism. Covers the trusted setup ceremony and the author's expectation of a participant airdrop.ExplainerZK55 likes

21 Apr 2024Witness Chain: DePIN coordination and rollup watchtowers on EigenLayerExplains Witness Chain as an EigenLayer AVS for DePIN coordination using Proof of Location, plus its Rollup Watchtower Network offering decentralized verifiers for optimistic rollups. It bootstrapped over $2.5B in restaked ETH security within 10 days.BreakdownDePINEthereum33 likes

18 Apr 2024Modular execution layers map: VMs, rollup SDKs and RaaSLandscape of modular execution layers grouped by VM (optimistic EVM, zkEVM, MoveVM, SVM, Wasm, FuelVM, Cairo VM), rollup SDKs and RaaS providers. Frames a rollup-centric future of app-specific chains unified by ZK interop.MapL1/L2Ethereum85 likes

31 Mar 2024Superchain and OP Stack ecosystem summary with linked explainersIndex of the author's Superchain research: ecosystem summary, deep dive, ELI5s on the concept and shared sequencing, OP Stack ecosystem and RaaS providers. Argues the OP Stack universe will be an epicentre of the bull market.MapL1/L2Ethereum22 likes

29 Mar 2024OP Superchain plus RaaS: why app-specific rollups will launch on the OP StackArgues no-code RaaS deployment on the OP Stack will drive a wave of app-specific rollups joining the Superchain, naming Caldera, Conduit, AltLayer, Ankr and Gelato as OP-supporting providers.ThesisL1/L2Ethereum13 likes

25 Mar 2024Shared sequencing in the Superchain and its limitsExplains how a shared OP sequencer proposing blocks to many chains can guarantee atomic inclusion, but only promises L1 inclusion, so execution still depends on other rollups, complicating cases like mint and burn bridging.ExplainerL1/L2Ethereum38 likes

25 Mar 2024Rollup landscape by DA and validation: optimistic, ZK, optimium and validiumClassifies live L2s by state validation and DA design: optimistic rollups, ZK rollups, optimiums (Manta, Metis, Mantle) and validiums (Immutable, Manta soon).MapL1/L2Ethereum31 likes

20 Mar 2024OP Superchain ELI5: Optimism, OP Stack and the SuperchainShort primer separating Optimism the collective, the OP Stack framework and the Superchain, which unifies app-specific OP chains into one interoperable system that feels monolithic to users.ExplainerEthereumL1/L222 likes

01 Mar 2024Mangata cross-rollup swaps for unified L2 liquidityContrasts today's L2-to-L2 transfers (withdraw to L1, deposit, swap) with Mangata's master rollup, which looks like an L2 to Ethereum and an L3 to L2s, offering gas-free swaps with escape hatches and MEV protection.ExplainerDeFiL1/L229 likes

21 Feb 2024Optimism Superchain deep dive: OP Stack, Bedrock and shared sequencingExplains the Superchain vision of OP Stack chains sharing sequencing with atomic cross-chain interaction, and Bedrock's upgrades: cheaper fees, 3-minute deposits, modular proofs (Cannon, future ZK), client diversity and configurable DA via SystemConfig.ExplainerEthereumL1/L228 likes

2023 26

08 Dec 2023Optimism RetroPGF3: how it compares to Arbitrum STIP and what it means for OPArgues RPGF3 is similar to STIP as treasury funding (30M OP, over $60M vs about $70M for STIP) but retroactive and broader, so less mercenary farming and a smaller OP-season effect. Expects retroactive DAO funding to be a 2024 narrative.Market takeL1/L2Other4 likes

08 Dec 2023Optimism RetroPGF3 results: quorum outcomes and how grants are allocatedUpdate on RetroPGF3: all applications he backed reached quorum, 78% of applications passed and 502 projects qualified. Explains grant allocation, with up to 30m OP total and 5m per application, and median-based results.OtherEthereumOther22 likes

04 Dec 2023Total value bridged growth: rollups vs validiums and optimiums7-day TVB growth data shows Mantle (+44.21%) and Metis (+24.26%) outpacing Arbitrum, Optimism and Base. Argues rising gas fees will push users to alt-DA and modular DA will capture share this cycle.DataL1/L2Market structure3 likes

02 Dec 2023Celo's L2 migration: OP Stack vs Polygon CDK vs ZK Stack comparedCompares OP Stack, Polygon CDK and ZK Stack proposals for Celo against criteria such as EigenDA support, decentralized sequencing, EVM equivalence, validity proofs and interop. Favors Polygon CDK or OP Stack.BreakdownL1/L2Ethereum81 likes

01 Dec 2023Kroma deep dive: hybrid OP Stack rollup with ZK fraud proofsDeep dive on Kroma, an OP Stack rollup with permissionless fault proofs live and ZK fraud proofs via a Scroll-based zkEVM, a planned move to zk rollup, and distribution through WEMADE and WEMIX gaming.BreakdownL1/L2ZK86 likes

26 Oct 2023The Stack Wars: OP Stack, Polygon CDK and Arbitrum Orbit comparedArgues builders now choose tech stacks rather than chains. Compares OP Stack (optimistic, Superchain), Polygon CDK (zkEVM with proof aggregation layer and POL security) and Arbitrum Orbit (L2s need DAO approval, L3s permissionless), with adopters.ThesisL1/L2Ethereum77 likes

23 Oct 2023OP chain ecosystem map: OP Mainnet, Base, opBNB, Manta, Aevo, Zora and moreSurvey of OP Stack chains live on mainnet with L2BEAT and DefiLlama metrics: OP Mainnet $2.8B TVB ranked 2nd, Base $563M ranked 3rd, Manta $12.72M ranked 20th, Aevo $6.85M, Zora $6.71M.MapL1/L227 likes

22 Oct 2023OP Stack breakdown: Bedrock, centralized sequencer risk and EVM-equivalent OVMTechnical thread from the Redacted OP report: the OP Stack's layered design, optimistic fraud-proof assumptions, and the fact that OP Mainnet then had no deployed state validation and a centralized sequencer without slashing. Notes Manta as a customization example.BreakdownL1/L2Ethereum72 likes

14 Oct 2023L2Beat rollup stages explained: Stage 0, 1 and 2 criteria and who qualifiesGuide to L2Beat's three-stage rollup framework (training wheels) with criteria per stage, and which rollups sit where. Most are Stage 0, Arbitrum and dYdX are Stage 1, and only Fuel v1 and DeGate reach Stage 2.ExplainerL1/L2Ethereum10 likes

25 Sep 2023The OP Stack and the Superchain vision: Bedrock, proofs and open challengesLong-form walkthrough of the Superchain thesis: Bedrock's fee, deposit and node improvements, SystemConfig-based modular sequencing and DA, and open problems including trusted withdrawal attestors, challenge-period latency, async cross-chain messaging and L1 data limits.ExplainerL1/L2Ethereum61 likes

18 Sep 2023Response to Justin Bons: Ethereum scales L1 via blobs and dankshardingRebuts the claim that L2-only scaling is no scaling. Ethereum sells secure block space and shifts from B2C to B2B, rollups keep customizable execution, composability is the real concern, and L2 activity accrues fees to L1.Market takeEthereumL1/L213 likes

28 Aug 2023L2/L3 execution layer framework: ten rollup stacks and their thesesWork-in-progress framework summarizing each major rollup stack's thesis, e.g. fractal L3 scaling on Starknet, recursive L3 zk rollups on zkSync, Superchain shared sequencing on Optimism and EigenDA outsourcing on Mantle, with links to deeper threads.MapL1/L2ZK83 likes

18 Aug 2023Is Metis still an L2 play for the next cycle?Argues Metis has strong tech innovation and low valuation, but off-chain data via Memolabs, an unfinished fraud-proof system, no escape hatch and a stagnating DeFi ecosystem leave it behind other L2s. Concludes it is not currently a top L2 pick.ThesisL1/L26 likes

16 Aug 2023OP Stack Superchain: shared sequencing and atomic cross-rollup composabilityExplains how a shared sequencer across OP Stack chains can guarantee atomic cross-rollup transactions, making the Superchain feel like one logical chain. Notes limits since the sequencer does not execute transactions, and points to Shared Validity Sequencing.ExplainerL1/L22 likes

26 Jul 2023L2 guide: which ecosystems stand out (Arbitrum, Scroll, Polygon zkEVM, zkSync)Assesses leading L2 ecosystems by tech, decentralization and growth drivers, with Arbitrum (Orbit, Stylus), Scroll (type 2 zkEVM), Polygon (plonky3, interop layer) and zkSync (Boojum, ZK Stack, zkPorter). Holds zk as the endgame.ThesisL1/L2EthereumZK127 likes

21 Jul 2023Rollups are not decentralized yet: sequencer status and shared sequencersReviews sequencer and validator centralization at Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync Era and Polygon zkEVM and failure modes. Presents shared sequencers as decentralization-as-a-service for rollups.ThesisL1/L2Ethereum47 likes

11 Jul 2023Manta Pacific launch: OP Stack rollup with Celestia DA and universal ZK circuitsBreaks down Manta Pacific, a modular OP Stack rollup using Celestia DA to cut rollup cost and universal circuits 2.0 so Solidity developers can build ZK apps, plus the existing Manta user base.BreakdownPrivacyL1/L2ZK66 likes

23 May 2023Ethereum L2 adoption in May 2023: scaling factor, TPS and TVLL2BEAT-based data thread: L2 scaling factor versus L1, rising L2 activity, and TVL roughly doubling YTD. Optimistic rollups hold most TVL, and zk-rollups are expected to gain share as adoption grows.DataL1/L2Ethereum4 likes

19 Apr 2023Valuing protocols with Token Terminal financial statements and P/S, P/FShows how Token Terminal's standardized financial statements and P/S and P/F multiples let investors compare dApps and L2s TradFi-style, with Q2 2023 examples of apparent over and undervaluation.ExplainerToolingDeFi7 likes

17 Apr 2023Mummy Finance data dive: a GMX fork on Fantom and OptimismDune-based stats on Mummy Finance, a GMX fork: cumulative volume, revenue, users, TVL by chain, open interest, margin versus swap volume and MMY staking.DataPerpsDeFi78 likes

16 Apr 2023Arbitrum's share of Ethereum L2 fees: 41% vs Polygon, Optimism, StarknetBreaks down the split of L2 fees on Ethereum, with Arbitrum taking the largest share.DataL1/L2Ethereum20 likes

16 Apr 2023ARB vs OP relative valuation via market cap to TVLExplains mcap/TVL as a relative valuation tool and applies it: Arbitrum at 5 versus Optimism at 12, implying ARB may be undervalued relative to OP.DataL1/L2Ethereum6 likes

16 Apr 2023Arbitrum valuation vs Polygon and Optimism on price-to-feesUses P/F (FDV over annualized fees) from Token Terminal to argue Arbitrum still looks undervalued relative to Polygon and Optimism, and links a longer piece on ARB value.DataL1/L2Ethereum21 likes

08 Apr 2023Developer activity by ecosystem: contract deployments and commitsUses Artemis data on contracts deployed, unique deployers, commits and active devs. BNB Chain, Polygon and Ethereum lead EVM deployments, Base's testnet tops L2 activity, and Ethereum has the largest dev community.DataL1/L2EthereumTooling4 likes

08 Jan 2023Optimism Bedrock bull case: low fees, 4844 support and zk-proof pathBullish on the Bedrock upgrade: low tx fees, full upgradeability, proto-danksharding support, Ethereum-level security, and the ability to switch to zk proofs later.ThesisL1/L2Ethereum25 likes

08 Jan 2023Arbitrum and Optimism catch up with Polygon PoS on daily active addressesNotes that rollups kept shipping through the bear market, with a chart showing Arbitrum and Optimism rapidly closing the gap to Polygon PoS on daily active addresses. Expects zkEVMs to change the game again.DataL1/L2Ethereum12 likes

2022 9

22 Sep 2022Index: rollups, zkEVM, data availability and airdrop threads (Sept 2022)Thread of threads organizing the author's modular scaling research: rollup intro and landscape, zkEVM, protocol deep dives, DA problem, EIP-4844, Celestia, Cevmos, Avail and airdrop guides.MapEthereumL1/L25 likes

15 Sep 2022Rollup fees after the Merge: about 0.05 USD per tx on OptimismPuts Optimism tx costs at roughly 0.05 USD and argues that, post-Merge, rollup ecosystems can scale, with EIP-4844 reducing rollup fees by another 100x.Market takeEthereumL1/L23 likes

06 Sep 2022State of Arbitrum, Sept 2022: users, TVL, fees and ecosystem dataData-driven look at Arbitrum with Token Terminal, Dune and L2BEAT numbers on active users, bridge flows, contract deployments, fees, TVL and ecosystem, concluding fundamentals are bullish with growth that is organic and token-free.DataEthereumL1/L260 likes

15 Jun 2022Index: rollup scaling, data availability and L2 airdrop threads (June 2022)Thread of threads indexing the author's rollup work: scaling intro, rollup landscape, EIP-4844, Optimism, Arbitrum, Metis, L3, dAMM, airdrop guides and the DA and Celestia series.MapEthereumL1/L25 likes

02 Jun 2022Optimism Bedrock upgrade: EVM equivalence, Cannon and cheaper calldataReviews Optimism's EVM equivalence approach and what Bedrock adds: optimal calldata compression, separation of consensus and execution clients, EIP-4844 readiness, SnapSync and the Cannon fault proof system.BreakdownEthereumL1/L26 likes

01 Jun 2022EIP-4844 explained: proto-danksharding and cheaper data for rollupsExplains why rollups need cheaper data and how EIP-4844 adds blob-carrying transactions with their own EIP-1559-style fee market as a step toward full danksharding, without yet sharding the chain.ExplainerEthereumL1/L219 likes

20 May 2022Ethereum L2 airdrop season guide: OP, HOP, ACX and what could come nextGuide to L2 airdrop farming after the Optimism and Hop token launches, summarizing allocation sizes and pointing to zkSync v2 testnet activity as the likeliest next candidate.ExplainerEthereumL1/L213 likes

19 May 2022Ethereum rollup landscape: optimistic and ZK rollups comparedLandscape thread covering optimistic rollups (Optimism, Arbitrum, Boba, Metis) with fraud proofs and challenge periods, and ZK rollups (Starknet, StarkEx, zkSync, Immutable X) including the L3 recursion idea.MapEthereumL1/L2ZK4 likes

19 May 2022Scaling Ethereum on rollups: sequencers, fraud proofs, validity proofs and DALong explainer comparing monolithic scaling, sharding and parachains with rollups. Covers sequencers, optimistic fraud proofs, zk validity proofs and why data availability, via danksharding blobs, limits rollup throughput.ExplainerEthereumL1/L2ZK14 likes

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Arbitrum65 Base28 zkSync41 Starknet39 OP Stack12 Metis14 Ethereum36 Polygon29

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