Author: David C, Bankless Translation: Shan Oppa, Golden Finance
Another acronym added to the blockchain glossary?
RaaS, Rollups-as-a-Service.
RaaS is an increasingly popular solution that addresses both the customization and scaling needs of blockchain. RaaS promises to solve the complexities and issues currently faced by rollups while making rollups easier to manage and customizable for specific use cases like DeFi or gaming.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of RaaS, what these platforms enable, and which projects are at the forefront of this emerging ecosystem. let's start!
Initially, all blockchains were single and operated on only one layer. However, during the bull run, especially the NFT craze on Ethereum in 2021, these blockchains began to experience performance issues as bottlenecks limited throughput and caused on-chain transaction fees to skyrocket.
So, modularization came into being. This is a design approach that spreads actions across multiple layers to solve these problems.
Rollups embody this design structure, decoupling execution from the Ethereum mainnet to facilitate higher transaction throughput while ensuring security and reducing costs .
However, the complexity involved in creating, deploying, and managing these rollups creates challenges that slow the rapid adoption of Layer 2 (L2) solutions. RaaS platforms simplify this process, making it easy for developers with even little coding experience to launch rollups without the usual technical burden.
The emergence of RaaS therefore marks a critical shift in rollups and is expected to accelerate L2 adoption. With the release of EIP-4844 next week - marking a major step for Ethereum towards its rollup-centric future - and the development of the data availability market as a catalyst for rollups, the rise of RaaS will open up for the blockchain A new era. This will be an era of interoperability and where highly specialized blockchains exist to solve any use case.
The core of the RaaS platform is to provide a series of services that allow developers And the process of managing rollups is as easy and smooth as possible. These services typically come in three flavors: software development kits (SDKs), no-code development options, and shared sequencers.
Software Development Kit (SDK): Provides developers with a toolkit to start rollups. Typically configured for a specific ecosystem. Examples include Optimism’s OP Stack, Arbitrum’s Orbit chain, and zkSync’s Hyperchain.
No-code development options: These platforms allow users with limited coding experience to quickly launch and manage custom rollups.
Shared sequencer: These systems jointly process rollup transactions and pass them to Layer 1, such as Ethereum or Cosmos.
Through these services, the RaaS platform provides users (whether developers or non-developers) with what they need to start their own rollups Tool of. Each RaaS provider develops customizations for the above three services and provides additional features that they believe will be attractive to deployers.
Below, we'll highlight some of the leading providers - AltLayer, Conduit, Dymension and Movement Labs - and see what they're doing uniquely with this suite of products Improve.
The recently launched AltLayer provides a common RaaS protocol while supporting optimistic Type and zk summary. Taking into account the future multi-chain, multi-virtual machine (VM) world, AltLayer decided from the beginning to support Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and WebAssembly (WASM) smart contracts (used by Cosmos and Polkadot). This was a smart move. Because it allows interoperability across ecosystems and supports future alternative virtual machines such as Solana VM or Move VM.
As part of their product suite, AltLayer offers a no-code dashboard that allows users without a programming background to launch a heavily customizable dashboard in minutes. rollup, for example you can specify a specific number of sorters or a gas limit. They also offer the Rollup SDK for developers who want to integrate rollup directly into their products, and provide a shared sequencer set through their Beacon layer. AltLayer uses a base set of nodes called the Beacon layer to provide a shared sequencer for all L2 rollups deployed through AltLayer. The Beacon layer also enables cross-chain transactions and messaging between all L2s initiated using AltLayer.
RaaS platform Conduit allows developers to easily launch optimistic rollups and manage All operations so developers can focus on building products.
Conduit initially only supported OP Stack, but later expanded to support Arbitrum's Orbit chain - although the most noteworthy chains they launched all used OP Stack. Zora Network, Public Goods Network, Mode, Aevo, and Frame have all been or will be launched using Conduit. These teams, and others launching with Conduit, can profit from sequencer fees and MEV on their rollups. A portion of these fees will also be reallocated to the OP collective to support public goods funding.
To further strengthen its OP Stack chain, Conduit has developed Elector, a consensus layer that reduces sequencer downtime for OP Stack-based chains by 50 % above. OP Stack has traditionally relied on a single sequencer, which makes it prone to downtime during software updates or hardware failures, which in turn delays transactions and stops user interaction with the rollup. Elector solves this problem by incorporating three sequencers into its protocol. If one sorter fails, the other takes over, maintaining "99.95%+" uptime for rollup operations. This innovative approach not only improves reliability but also allows for seamless software and infrastructure updates without any downtime.
Dymension may be the most representative RaaS, it is a modular Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain ecosystem, tailor-made for RollApps. RollApps are specialized rollups designed to execute transactions off-chain and managed by a single sequencer or a group of sequencers.
Dymension's architecture can be divided into two parts:
Dymension Hub: The billing layer that ensures the smooth operation of RollApps.
RollApp Development Kit (RDK): A toolkit for developing and deploying license-free RollApps.
Dymension Hub (Hub for short) is the core and settlement layer of the Dymension network. It agrees with Dymint (Dymension version of Cosmos Tendermint consensus mechanisms) work together to create blocks for RollApps. The Hub checks for updates from RollApps and assumes they are correct unless proven otherwise, which helps RollApps work faster and with less latency. Interestingly, it only generates blocks when needed, thus saving resources and costs, unlike other chains that generate blocks continuously. Like Cosmos, Hub also connects RollApps, allowing them to communicate, bridge, and transact with each other.
Additionally, Hub also offers the opportunity to stake Dymension - similar to what Celestia does, where people stake TIA to gain access to other air investments. Some of the airdrops that have been announced for DYM stakers include ValiDAO (DAO-owned validator), Avail (modular infrastructure), and NIM Network (game-focused rollup).
Dymension's RollApp Development Kit (RDK) is similar to the Cosmos SDK and comes with Several modules to speed up deployment. These modules come from the Cosmos SDK, the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, Ethermint, and CosmWasm, which work together to provide RollApps with tools such as governance, token transfers, upgrade capabilities, and support for EVM and CosmWasm smart contracts.
In addition, Dymension RollApps stand out for a range of benefits they get from the Hub, such as inheriting the same security level as the settlement layer or being able to use Dymension's authenticators network instead of bootstrapping your own network - This significantly reduces the chain's security budget and minimizes token dilution since they don't have to incentivize validators to participate when they first launch. Additionally, by outsourcing consensus to the Hub, RollApps can focus on maximizing throughput and reducing latency. What's more, thanks to Dymension Hub's native Automated Market Maker (AMM), they can share liquidity - solving a common problem with L2 (liquidity fragmentation) - and receive payments in any token of their choice. The fee is charged instead of Dymension. To kickstart adoption, Dymension recently launched an incentive program for its AMMs, issuing over 100% APR to liquidity providers on certain pools.
Last September, the Ethereum chain backend infrastructure and smart contracts Gelato, a leader in service providers, announced the addition of Rollups-as-a-Service to its suite. Gelato supports OP Stack, Arbitrum Orbits, and Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK), making it easy for developers to launch optimistic and zero-knowledge (ZK) aggregations using their favorite framework. Additionally, Gelato's background as an infrastructure provider allows them to offer developers an additional suite of tools, such as:
Account abstraction: A software development kit that allows developers to build more user-friendly wallets with features such as "sign in with Google," "sign up with email," or gas-free transactions.
Web3 features: Services that allow developers to connect smart contracts to off-chain data and automate responses.
In addition, their vast network of infrastructure partners allows developers to leverage services such as LayerZero or Moonpay through cross-chain integration Or convenient fiat currency deposits and withdrawals to further enhance the functionality of their chain.
Gelato's existing product suite and partner ecosystem give it a solid foundation to compete with other RaaS providers. The suite allows them to further cater to the developer experience while giving developers the tools to focus on building the best user experience - whether using account abstraction or features like fiat deposits and withdrawals.
RaaS (Rollups-as-a-Service, Rollups as a Service) The platform provides a series of tools to help developers build a modular blockchain future.
By providing a range of services such as an SDK for developers, no-code options for non-programmers, and a shared sorter system for increased efficiency, RaaS platforms like AltLayer, Conduit, Dymension, and Gelato Network not only alleviate the common complexities of rollups, but also usher in a future where blockchain can be a customizable, highly interoperable solution that almost anyone can develop .
As the blockchain space continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see where RaaS will take hold (if it will take hold at all) things. Regardless, RaaS offers an exciting opportunity, with the potential to solve common problems plaguing L2 while bringing the various ecosystems together so that everyone can enjoy its fascinating qualities.
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