Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, has explicitly stated that Validium is a better choice than Rollups for many decentralized applications (Dapps) due to its decentralized data availability layer, which ensures network security.
The Ethereum blockchain, the second-largest public chain in the crypto world, has been generating a lot of discussions on topics such as Rollups, modularity, and data availability layer, thanks to the upcoming Kancun upgrade in 2024, which will introduce the EIP-4844 improvement proposal aimed at Ethereum Layer2 scalability solutions.
Yesterday, the definition and legitimacy of Rollups were brought up again, and Daniel Wang, the CEO of the zkEVM project Taiko, posted on the social platform X, stating:
“Rollups are a technology that allows you to move computation off the Ethereum mainnet, while still benefiting from Ethereum’s security.”
Subsequently, Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, also expressed his clear agreement with this viewpoint, stating that Validium is the correct choice for many blockchain applications.
Validium is a scalability solution for Ethereum Layer2 and can be understood as a ZKRollup that does not use ETH as the data availability layer.
Vitalik stated in his tweet that the core of Rollups is unconditional security guarantees, which allow users to securely withdraw their assets even if others collude. However, if the data availability layer depends on an external system, it cannot fully protect user assets, and in that case, Validium should be used. Validium requires sacrificing decentralization, but it can ensure the normal operation of the system by utilizing a decentralized data availability layer, thereby increasing network integrity.
It is worth noting that although Rollups are currently the main focus of Ethereum’s roadmap, not Validium, Vitalik’s statement yesterday indicates that he does not exclude Validium. On the contrary, he pointed out that Validium is the correct choice for many blockchain applications because adopting a good distributed data availability layer system can also enhance Validium’s security.
Different Layer2 characteristics
The Ethereum Layer2 network has different system types with the following main characteristics:
Rollup:
Uses fraud proofs or ZK-SNARK verification computations and allows assets to be brought back to the Ethereum mainnet at any time.
Validium:
Uses ZK-SNARK and data stored on servers or other independent systems for verification computations, but data availability failures may result in asset loss.
Disconnected:
Has an independent chain with lower costs.
Further reading:
Vitalik’s full article on Layer2 scalability: The trade-offs between Rollup and Validiums (validity verification).
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