Does Ethereum need Based Rollup? Can shared security and interoperability coexist?

As the Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) ecosystem is growing rapidly, GregTheGreek, co-founder of tool development company Sprinter, has criticized and provided improvement suggestions for the popular L2 optimization solution Based Rollup, emphasizing that security and interoperability should be discussed separately. In response, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, sparked a deeper discussion.

(Interpreting the opportunities and challenges Vitalik sees for rollups)

Based Rollup: Dilemma of Multifunctional Design

GregTheGreek believes that the current design of Based Rollup attempts to solve too many problems at the same time, leading to a constantly expanding scope and difficulty in achieving modularity. He argues, "We need a modular design and should consider security and interoperability as two independent directions."

He further pointed out that the design of Based Rollup should focus on improving the security model to make it a core part of the Ethereum protocol, rather than forcibly incorporating interoperability standards.

However, Vitalik Buterin later commented to supplement Greg's views. He said, "Your understanding of Based Rollup is different from mine. In my opinion, Based Rollup simply refers to 'L1 as a sequencer,' which has nothing to do with interoperability standards, and doesn't even necessarily require Rollup to be based on EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)."

Vitalik's response indicates that the concept of Based Rollup does not necessarily cover interoperability, so there may be misunderstandings or over-interpretations.

Interoperability: Drawing Inspiration from Cosmos and Polkadot

GregTheGreek mentioned that the Cross-Chain Interaction communication protocol IBC of Cosmos provides inspiration for interoperability. He pointed out that although each application chain of Cosmos has independent security assumptions, they can achieve trusted message transmission through IBC without the need for shared security.

In addition, he mentioned that Polkadot's Substrate and XCM provide another solution: interoperability between parallel chains through a simple communication protocol, while requiring compliance with shared security.

He believes that Ethereum should draw on the experience of these ecosystems, separate interoperability and shared security, and focus on building a universal interoperability protocol.

The challenges of sharing security and the need for interoperability

GregTheGreek emphasized that an overly centralized shared security model can bring risks, especially in designs based on Based Rollup. He pointed out that most L2s do not want to be forced into shared security because there is too much risk.

However, Vitalik's view provides more flexibility for the scope of shared security. He emphasizes that the core concept of Based Rollup is only for L1 to act as an orderer, without specific specifications for interoperability or security. This means that shared security can be an optional choice, rather than a mandatory requirement.

Critics' solution?

GregTheGreek's proposed solution is to establish a strong verification layer to make communication between L2 more reliable and accurate, rather than attempting to completely eliminate the risk of value outflow from the Ether network. He admitted that the existence of bridge technology makes value outflow inevitable, but a better verification layer can reduce unnecessary trust risks.

The design of Based Rollup has sparked a lot of controversy, but at the same time it has also pushed for a deeper consideration of the future direction of Ethereum. The suggestions from GregTheGreek and clarifications from Vitalik both point to a possible direction: separating security and interoperability, and focusing on their respective development.

This discussion not only showcases the diverse perspectives within the Ethereum community, but also provides valuable suggestions for the continuous evolution of the Layer 2 ecosystem.

Does Ethereum need Based Rollup? Can shared security and interoperability coexist? The post first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.