Analyzing Ethereum’s next-generation L2 technology: Booster Rollups

Author: 2077Research Source: X, @2077Research Translation: Shan Ouba, Golden Finance

In the first article of our Rollups 2.0 series, we discussed Layer 1 (L1)-based rollups - the most decentralized and Ethereum-compatible way to manage rollups. By handing off the task of transaction ordering to Ethereum L1, L1-based rollups are able to take advantage of L1's decentralization, simplicity, and liveliness, while also bringing other advantages.

In today's article, we will explore the next evolution of rollups: Booster Rollups. Booster Rollups not only build on the foundation of L1-based rollups, but also further expand Ethereum's composability. But how do we really expand this composability?

Problems with the Current L2 Space

Additional checks are often required to ensure that L2 networks operate as expected. However, the main settlement and execution processes still occur directly on L1. This means that while L2 has expanded functionality (such as off-chain EVM execution), it has also added additional complexity. While this additional logic is not ideal, the ultimate goal is to standardize operations and rely entirely on a standard EVM.

Standardization is critical to enabling smooth transaction exchange between different L2s. To achieve this goal, a new type of transaction may be required - one that can operate across multiple chains.

In such a system, a transaction can generate smaller sub-transactions. Each sub-transaction contains the following details:

1. The ID of the source chain

2. The ID of the target chain

3. Input data (such as caller, address, and call data)

4. The output generated by the target chain

There are two main uses for this transaction data:

1. As input on the source chain

It allows participants to directly view the output without directly involving the target chain.

2. Verify the consistency of input and output on the target chain

It is used to confirm whether a given input produces the expected output.

In this way, each chain can independently verify its own transactions while following shared standards for transaction formats and inputs.

This approach keeps block verification simple, using familiar L1 verification contracts to ensure block validity. This shared standard and improved cross-chain transaction method lays a solid foundation for the future development of L2 networks, and also makes Booster Rollups a key to promoting the development of the Ethereum ecosystem.

How are Booster Rollups different?

Booster Rollups process transactions similar to execution on L1. They have access to the state of L1, but have independent storage, thereby extending execution and storage to L2. Each L2 extends the block space of L1, distributing transaction processing and data storage to a wider range.

Imagine deploying a decentralized application (dapp) once and having it automatically scale to all Layer 2 (L2) networks. If more block space is needed, simply add more Booster Rollups with no additional configuration. This means no additional work, redeployment costs, or additional complexity for developers.

In simple terms, Booster Rollups are like adding more CPUs or SSDs to your laptop: they improve performance, making applications run more efficiently while making it easy to scale.

From a technical perspective, Booster Rollups can also be described as "distributing transaction execution and storage across multiple shards."

How Booster Rollups Work

Both optimistic and zero-knowledge Rollups (ZK Rollups) can adopt the Booster function. However, not all Rollups require full boosting, and some Rollups can benefit from L2-specific optimizations.

If the goal is to achieve native Ethereum expansion, the best boosting scenario is to implement it on L1-based Rollups. Ethereum is expanded in a seamless way by having L1 validators propose blocks for the entire Boosted network.

Boosted Rollups also solve the fragmentation problem that is prevalent in the current Rollup ecosystem. Through the L1-based sorting mechanism (Based Sequencing), they not only retain the advantages of L1 sorting, but also introduce atomic cross-Rollup transactions within all L2 Booster networks. This design realizes the scaling vision that Ethereum has envisioned from the beginning - both integrated and scalable, providing a unified solution to Ethereum's growth challenges.

Because Booster Rollups naturally support synchronous composability, this rollup model eliminates the hassle of dealing with fragmentation or switching between multiple L2s. All priority decentralized applications (dapps) can be used on every L2, providing users with a seamless Ethereum experience.

Using Booster Rollups, developers can scale their dapps without multiple redeployments on multiple L2s. Deploy once on L1, and dapps will automatically scale to all existing and future Boosted L2s, greatly simplifying the development and deployment process.

Because Booster Rollups naturally support synchronous composability, this rollup model eliminates the hassle of dealing with fragmentation or switching between multiple L2s. All priority decentralized applications (dapps) are available on every L2, providing users with a seamless Ethereum experience.

With Booster Rollups, developers can scale their dapps without multiple redeployments on multiple L2s. Deploy once on L1, and dapps will automatically scale to all existing and future Boosted L2s, greatly simplifying the development and deployment process.

Benefits of Booster Rollups

1. Transparent Scalability

Booster Rollups enhance scalability in a transparent way, just like adding more servers to a server cluster. Applications can seamlessly utilize additional resources, and developers can scale solutions without deploying complex L2 infrastructure.

2. Solving the Fragmentation Problem

Booster Rollups provides a unified user experience between L1 and L2. Since smart contracts share the same address across all networks, users can enjoy consistency and simplicity in both L1 and L2 environments.

3. Solving the problem of inefficient deployment

Developers only need to deploy once on L1, and dapps can support multiple Rollups by default, while updates are centrally managed. Whether users use external accounts (EOA) or smart wallets, they can conduct seamless transactions across networks through a single address.

4. Solving the attractiveness of Rollup operators

Developers do not need to specifically choose a deployment network, dapps will automatically support various Rollup networks. Booster Rollups can be used in conjunction with L1-based Rollups to achieve significant expansion. Moreover, not all L2s need to be Booster Rollups, which makes hybrid networks possible.

5. Improved sovereignty and security

Booster Rollups eliminates the need for specific wrapper contracts because smart contracts work the same way on L1 and L2, and control remains in the hands of developers. By applying security measures individually to each dapp instead of relying on bridges or specific implementations, security is significantly improved while eliminating the risk of single points of failure.

Limitations of Booster Rollups

To ensure that L2 can be consistent with L1, the deployment of smart contracts should be limited to L1. This restriction ensures uniform access between L2s. This is not a major limitation because smart contracts can still exhibit different behaviors through data-driven approaches, such as the contract address stored on the chain can change between different chains.

While L1 holds shared data, this does not directly improve scalability, which is an inherent challenge in any scalable system. Developers must optimize to minimize this effect. Similar to traditional software, not all decentralized applications (dapps) can fully exploit parallel processing. However, even if these dapps run on a separate L2, they can still benefit from interoperability because they remain universally accessible to all users.

Booster Rollups are essentially an extension of L1, but they have unique mechanisms for transaction execution and storage. In order to correctly interpret Booster Rollup transactions, L1 and L2 nodes must be synchronized. A possible solution is to run both L1 and L2 on the same node, switching between shared L1 storage and L2-specific storage when executing transactions.

Conclusion

Booster Rollups provide a transformative solution to Ethereum's scalability challenges by seamlessly integrating with L1, improving transaction throughput and storage efficiency. They address issues such as fragmentation and deployment inefficiencies, allowing developers to easily scale dapps on multiple L2s while maintaining security and sovereignty.

By simplifying scalability and promoting interoperability, Booster Rollups pave the way for a more unified and user-friendly Ethereum ecosystem.