Scroll’s zkEVM Launches on Ethereum Mainnet
Scroll, the Seychelles-headquartered project behind the Ethereum layer-2 network of the same name, has officially made its debut on the Ethereum mainnet.
Attempting to solve for scalability
The project team announced the development via a press release which was published on Tuesday. The network launch signifies the latest in a series of attempts by various layer-2 projects, including Polygon and StarkWare, to address the persistent challenges of high transaction fees and network congestion that have hindered Ethereum’s usability in recent times. Speaking to layer-2 development, co-founder Sandy Peng stated:
“We see a future where the vast majority of value transfer takes place on Layer 2s on Ethereum. What will drive that adoption is improved user and developer experience.”
After testing and refinement on its testnet, Scroll believes that it is in a good position to play an active role within the Ethereum ecosystem by providing a general-purpose, zero-knowledge Ethereum virtual machine (zkEVM) roll-up.
The project has 900,000 wallet addresses in active use on its testnet, having executed seven million transactions since August. The testnet has seen over 55 million transactions during its year-long operation.
At its core, Scroll’s mission is to combine Ethereum’s network security with reduced fees and lower latency, making it an attractive proposition for existing Ethereum projects. According to Peng, Ethereum developers can seamlessly deploy their projects on Scroll and harness the groundbreaking zkEVM technology.
Incorporating bytecode
Peng emphasized the significance of zkEVM’s ability to batch proofs efficiently, resulting in faster transaction speeds and cost reductions, thanks to its bytecode-level compatibility.
Bytecode, in the realm of computer programming, simplifies intricate machine cryptography, making code more accessible for computer hardware. Scroll allows deployed smart contracts to store the bytecode of their transactions, which is then sent to a centralized zkEVM node. This node verifies the transaction’s accuracy without revealing its content. Once verified, the transaction’s status is updated on the Ethereum network, eliminating the need for re-execution. Peng pointed out:
“Thanks to this feature, Ethereum devs can leverage all the same tools they are familiar with, ensuring that everything operates seamlessly right from the start.”
Scroll’s mainnet code was subject to audits conducted by four major auditing firms, namely Zellic, Trail of Bits, OpenZeppelin, and KALOS, in an effort to ensure robust security and reliability.
Efforts towards greater decentralization
While Scroll’s current implementation offers compelling features, the team is actively researching ways to further enhance the network’s decentralization. Currently, if the sequencer goes offline, the protocol halts, creating a potential vulnerability. To address this, the Scroll team is working on a protocol upgrade that will enable “forced batches.” This update will allow permissionless publication of batches through the base layer, even in the event of a sequencer halt.
Peng elaborated on the team’s vision, stating: “Mid-term, the goal is to minimize the probability of a sequencer halt through decentralization.” This approach aims to bolster the network’s resilience and ensure a smoother user experience.
While headquartered in the Seychelles, the project has its origins in China through its Chinese founders, Ye Zhang and Haichen Shen, alongside Peng, with many of its 60-strong project team based in mainland China and Hong Kong.
