Overview of DA Solutions and Project Introduction

In the current Web3 ecosystem, Layer 2(L2) faces data availability (DA) issues, mainly reflected in the trade-off between security and cost. To address this issue, the industry has proposed two DA solutions: on-chain and off-chain.

On-chain Solutions: Proto-Danksharding

On-chain solutions refer to Layer 2 continuing to use Ethereum as the DA layer, reducing data availability costs through Ethereum. Proto-Danksharding(EIP-4844) is the main solution for Ethereum to lower DA costs, introducing a new Blob transaction format. Transaction data uploaded by Layer 2 will be temporarily stored in Blob format on the Ethereum consensus layer, providing more economical data availability for Layer 2.

This means that Ethereum will become a real-time bulletin board in the future, and the data on the board will be deleted after a certain period of time. L2 needs to store all data backups by itself. Proto-Danksharding is expected to go live in the Ethereum Cancun upgrade at the end of this year.

Off-chain Solutions

Off-chain solutions are about finding more economical ways to achieve data availability, no longer using Ethereum as the DA layer. Depending on the different levels of decentralization and security, they can be divided into four types:

Validium

Validium is a highly centralized DA solution, where transaction data is managed and published off-chain by a centralized operator. Although transaction privacy is protected and DA costs are minimized, the risks are also the highest; if the operator encounters problems, user funds may be unrecoverable.

Data Availability Committee ( DAC )

DAC is similar to a consortium chain, composed of multiple trusted nodes that maintain copies of transaction data and make the data public in case of operator issues. The operational costs are relatively low, but small DACs still have security risks.

Volition

Volition is a hybrid model that allows users to choose whether to publish the data of a single transaction on-chain or off-chain. Compared to pure Validium, Volition inherits some security from Ethereum.

General DA Solution

The universal DA solution can not only provide data availability for Ethereum L2 but also serve more chains and projects. Such solutions typically have their own validation nodes, block producers, and consensus mechanisms to enhance the security of data availability.

Introduction to DA Layer Projects

StarkEx

StarkEx is a framework developed by the StarkWare team that provides scalability and DA solutions for specific applications. It features three data availability modes: on-chain, Validium, and Volition. Currently, projects utilizing StarkEx for DA include dYdX v3 and Immutable.

zkPorter

zkPorter is an off-chain DA solution proposed by Matter Labs, which is an independent chain specifically for L2 publishing transaction data. It maintains security through a PoS consensus mechanism, allowing zkSync token holders to stake as guardians to validate blocks. Accounts on zkPorter can interact seamlessly with zkSync Era, with lower fees. However, the current development progress of zkPorter is still unclear.

EigenDA

EigenDA is a DA layer project developed based on EigenLayer, operating as middleware rather than an independent blockchain. Its security is obtained through the restaking model of Ethereum validators in EigenLayer. EigenDA is the first active verification service (AVS) on EigenLayer, where restakers can earn rewards, L2 can achieve lower costs and higher TPS.

Celestia

Celestia is a general-purpose DA public chain that has its own validating nodes and PoS consensus mechanism. Although the costs are higher than other off-chain solutions, the security is significantly enhanced. Celestium is an Ethereum L2 chain that uses Celestia as its DA layer. Celestia has completed two rounds of financing and plans to carry out a token airdrop.

Avail

Avail was originally a Polygon project and is now an independently operating DA public chain. Its technology is more complex than Celestia, and the mainnet is expected to launch in Q1 2024. The testnet is currently in the second phase, where users can participate to obtain test coins, develop applications, or join the network as validators.

Summary

Ethereum aims to reduce data publishing costs for L2 through EIP-4844 while maintaining the functions of the DA layer, settlement layer, and consensus layer. This puts off-chain DA solutions in direct competition with Ethereum. It is worth paying attention to how future DA layer projects can enhance their competitiveness, and whether large projects similar to Optimism and Arbitrum will emerge.