In a recent post on X, Ethereums co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed calling Layer 2 (L2) solutions using Celestia as their data availability layer validiums rather than rollups, sparking a discussion among crypto enthusiasts and developers about the proper classification of L2s that use Celestia as their DAL.

Some argue that validiums should be considered a distinct category, while others argue that they are a subset of rollups.

Vitalik Buterin stirred up debate about the distinction between different types of layer-2 (L2) scaling solutions, arguing that blockchains using a data availability layer (DAL) like Celestia should not be considered true rollups but rather a new category of L2s called validiums.

In response to a X post from Daniel Wang on Jan.16, Buterin agreed that a rollup using another DAL like Celestia is not a true rollup but a different type of L2 called a validium, implying that only rollups fully relying on Ethereum for data availability can be considered true rollups.

Buterins reply affirmed that for an L2 to be considered a true rollup, it must provide users with an unconditional security guarantee, ensuring they can withdraw their assets even if other users collude to prevent it. He emphasized that rollups relying solely on Ethereum for data availability achieve high-security levels. Besides, he pointed out that true rollups must rely solely on Ethereum for data availability; otherwise, there is no guarantee of security and availability. Consequently, L2s relying on an external DAL, like Celestia, should be classified as validiums instead of rollups.

Validium is an Ethereum scaling solution utilizing zero-knowledge proofs for off-chain transactions while relying on Ethereums mainnet for security and verification. Unlike zero-knowledge rollups, such as ZK-Rollups, which batch transactions on a layer-2 network and post proofs on Ethereums mainnet for security, validiums do not post any data to Ethereums mainnet. They only post proof of transaction validity, offering greater scalability as the mainnet doesnt need to verify all transactions, only the proof of validity. Technical or financial difficulties for the operator may lead to reduced data availability for validium users.

Networks like Celestia divide the blockchain into a data availability layer and a validation layer. The data availability layer stores transaction data, while the validation layer uses validiums to validate data without requiring the full transaction data.

In a recent post on Warpcast, Vitalik Buterin suggested adjusting the terminology for different types of L2s, proposing terms like strong and light instead of security-favoring and scale-favoring for clarity.

In response to Buterins proposed terminology, a prominent Ethereum community member, Ryan Berckmans, disagreed, arguing that validiums should still be considered L2 networks. He believes that a chain settling on Ethereum should be considered a layer-2 network, even if it doesnt store transaction data on the Ethereum mainnet.

Berckmans contends that the definition of a layer-2 network is not set in stone due to the blockchain industrys early stages. He suggests that the most useful definition includes both rollups and validiums, as they both inherit security from the Ethereum mainnet.

However, L2Beat, a platform offering analytics on layer-2 solutions, disagrees with Berckmans definition of a layer-2 network.

L2Beat argued that validiums and similar solutions, like optimiums, are not layer-2 networks because they introduce additional trust assumptions on top of the layer-1 blockchain.

Read also: Solana-based Jupiter confirms token release date

Continued here:

Vitalik Buterin: L2s with Celestia are validiums, not true rollups - CryptoTvplus

SAN FRANCISCO - co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Taiko's Daniel Wang have put forward a proposal to classify layer-2 scaling solutions to enhance clarity in the Ethereum ecosystem. The discussion, which took place today, introduced a distinction between "strong" rollups and "light" validiums, terms aimed at navigating the trade-offs between security and scalability within the network.

The proposed classification system comes as the Ethereum community gears up for the Ethereum Merge upgrade, an initiative designed to bolster network performance. According to the conversation between Buterin and Wang, rollups are considered "strong" due to their method of posting full transaction data on the Ethereum chain, thus prioritizing security. On the other hand, "light" validiums focus on scalability by employing zero-knowledge proofs and storing only a hash on-chain.

With the Ethereum Merge on the horizon, the distinction between different types of layer-2 options is expected to play a significant role in the upgrade's success and the future scalability of the Ethereum network.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Read the original here:

Ethereum leaders propose classification for layer-2 solutions By Investing.com - Investing.com

Ethereum developers, node operators and users have yet to agree on Vitalik Buterins recent suggestion to increase the gas limit on Ethereum.

On Jan. 11, Buterin advocated for a modest 33% gas limit increase to potentially improve network throughput.

Increasing the gas limit to the proposed 40 million from the current 30 million would allow more transactions for each block, theoretically increasing the overall throughput and capacity of the network, he argued.

However, there are some drawbacks, according to Ethereum developer Marius van der Wijden, who aired his concerns in a Jan. 11 blog post titled Why increasing the gas limit is difficult.

The primary concern would be the increase in the size of the blockchain state, which contains account balances and smart contract data.

The total space needed right now is roughly 267 gigabytes (GB) only for the state, he said, adding, If we increase the gas limit, this size will grow even quicker.

The Ethereum blockchain full history data size is currently around 900GB, according to Blockchair.

Wijden argued that storage is cheap, so size is not the issue, and everyone will be able to store that amount of data, however, accessing and modifying it will become slower and slower, before adding there are no concrete solutions yet for state growth.

Moreover, higher limits also raise synchronization times and make building diverse clients harder, he added.

Gnosis co-founder Martin Kppelmann also aired concerns, stating there would also be an increase in bandwidth should the gas limit be raised.

Ethereum team lead Pter Szilgyi was another who echoed concerns about increasing gas limits.

The gas limit refers to the maximum amount of work and gas spent executing Ethereum transactions or smart contracts in each block. It is set to ensure that blocks are not too large, which would impact network performance and synchronization.

Potential solutions include upgrades like EIP-4444 tackling chain history expiration and EIP-4844 for rollup data availability using blobs,which will help curb long-term growth trends.

Related: Big changes coming to Ethereums account abstraction to save on gas

Software developer Micah Zoltu replied to Vitaliks Reddit post, saying that the goal should be enabling real-world users to run Ethereum nodes on their everyday machines. However, this will be a greater challenge as the state and full blockchain size grows over time.

Our goal should not be to ensure that you can run an Ethereum node on an $X machine. It should be that demographic X can run an Ethereum node, he said.

Magazine: Account abstraction supercharges Ethereum wallets: Dummies guide

Read this article:

Ethereum devs air concern over Vitalik's plan to increase gas limit - Cointelegraph

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested raising the network's gas limit by 33% on Wednesday a move that would raise the network's transaction capacity and could reduce fees for end-users, but could increase operational costs for validators.

Users of the Ethereum blockchain pay gas fees to ensure that their transactions are added to the network, and the gas that one pays to execute a transaction roughly correlates to its computational complexity (e.g. a simple token swap will cost less gas than opening up a convoluted lending position).

Ethereum's gas limit refers to the total amount of gas that can be squeezed into an individual Ethereum block the bundles of transactions that get added to the Ethereum network at regular intervals. Increasing the gas limit would mean increasing the amount (and complexity) of transactions that can be added to a block.

"The gas limit has not been increased for nearly three years, which is the longest time ever in the protocol's history," Buterin wrote in response to a commenter who asked whether Ethereum could "safely increase" its gas limit. Buterin suggested increasing the gas limit to 40 million gas units a 33% increase over today's 30 million limit.

A ramp-up in Ethereum's gas limit wouldn't require a big update or "hard fork" of the network's core code. Instead, the validators that operate the network should be able to implement the change by adjusting certain parameters in their node software.

Calls for increasing the gas limit started back in December when some of Ethereum's layer 2 (L2) networks were experiencing record usage. Martin Kppelmann, the co-founder of Gnosis Chain, wrote on X that for Ethereum to become a settlement layer for L2s it needs to increase its block gas limit.

Following Buterins Reddit comments on Wednesday, more users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, chimed in with words of support for the suggested increase. Jesse Pollak, the head of protocols at Coinbase and creator of the layer-2 blockchain Base, shared his support of the move and suggested the gas limit could even be increased even further, to 45 million.

Others expressed more caution about the gas change, like Ethereum core developer Dankrad Feist, who suggested that calldata and blobs per block should be targeted in addition to the overall gas limit.

As for what the limit increase accomplishes, "it simply allows more activity on L1 - it will either reduce tx costs - or more likely IMO just increase capacity at similar cost -> more burn, said Kppelmann.

Link:

Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin Proposes Gas Limit Increase - CoinDesk

Honestly, I think doing a modest gas limit increase even today is reasonable, Vitalik Buterin, Jan 10 2024.

Buterin made the proposal during the 11th Reddit ask-me-anything (AMA) session hosted by the Ethereum Foundations research team on Jan. 10.

He noted that the gas limit, which had been periodically reviewed, has not been increased for nearly three years, the longest time ever in the Ethereum protocols history.

Buterin also followed up the suggestion with a brief calculation. The current gas limit is 30 million, according to Etherscan. Buterins suggested increase of 33% would take the new limit to around 40 million.

The average gas limit just after Ethereums genesis in 2015 was around 3 million, which has increased over time along with network usage and adoption.

The Ethereum gas limit represents the maximum amount of gas spent on executing each block of transaction or smart contract. Gas, measured in Gwei is the fee paid to to conduct a transaction or execute a contract on the Ethereum blockchain.

Typically, a gas limit is set to ensure that blocks are not too large, which could have a major impact on the network performance and synchronization. With the transition the Proof of Stake (PoS) Node validators are also able to adjust the gas limit dynamically within specific parameters as they produce blocks.

Theoretically, an increase in the gas limit suggested by Buterin would increase scalability, by allowing more transactions into each block. This would increase the overall throughput and capacity of the network to process transactions.

Average gas prices, or the cost of transacting on Ethereum, are currently around 35 gwei or $1.89, according to Etherscan. However, this Gas limit increase could allow more transactions to be folded into each block, lowering overall costs.

Within 24 hours of Vitalik Buterins gas limit increase proposal, Etherum price has climbed above the $2,600 peak for the first time since May 2022. The bulls culd now set their sights on the $3,000 milestone.

In the daily timeframe, Bollinger Band technical indicators also confirm this bullish stance. It currently shows that with ETH currently trading at $2,655, it has now moved above the upper-band at $2,539. This alignment indicates the momentum has now flipped bullish.

However, for the bulls to validate the $3,000 ETH price forecast, they must first scale the psychological resistance around $2,800. But if Ethereum price can smash that resistance, it could head toward $3,000 as predicted.

onversely, to invalidate this positive price outlook, ETH bears will have to force a downswing below $2,300 territory. But in that case, the bulls could avert major losses by mounting a support buy-wall at the lower Bollinger Band of $2,325.

Go here to read the rest:

Ethereum (ETH) Price targets $3,000 as Vitalik Buterin Calls for Gas Fee Review - FX Empire