Optimism implements decentralized, error-proofing to ‘Level 1’

Ethereum Layer-2 Optimism implemented error proofing in modern contracts, according to the development team, OP Labs. According to the team, Optimism has now reached “stage 1” of decentralization, citing a list of milestones announced by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

At least four other OP Stack networks will implement error proofing “soon,” including Base, Metal, Mod, and Zora.

On Optimism, users can now start mining Ether (ETH) and ERC-20 tokens “without the involvement of any trusted third parties,” OP Labs said in a post. Additionally, if the team sequencer attempts to process invalid payments, it may be “tried and removed” by any user who provides error proof that the termination is invalid.

The new system doesn't completely prevent the series from denying legal withdrawals or running invalid ones, he wrote. However, the default process for confirming exits rests with the users rather than the Optimist group, and this process can only be overridden by an express vote of the council.

The group said this would pave the way for a more fully decentralized “Phase 1” or “Phase 2” in the future. Many proven systems that contradict each other.

The new destruction system, called “Cannon,” was developed with the participation of several teams, including OP Labs, Base Network, and Sunnyside Labs. The proposal to implement the change was forwarded through the Optim Token House and Citizen House management organizations.

According to the team, Canon will not be the only damage prevention system used by Optimism in the long run. In the future, Optimism will achieve “multi-proof nirvana”, in which multiple authentication systems are used to ensure that valid transactions are verified only in sequence.

Optimism should be safe as the new code is implemented, OP Labs said. It would contain “safeguards” that would allow the Security Council to act “quickly and efficiently” if an error in the code was discovered. When these defenses are triggered, “exit is restarted, requiring all pending charges to be reprimanded.”

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In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Optimism founder Karl Florsch said that although the road is difficult, Optimism and other Layer-2s are making significant progress toward decentralization.

“[T]The reason why building any kind of authentication system is so difficult is because it's security-critical code and requires incredible levels of authentication. “We're not at the endgame of Phase 2, but we're starting to see the pieces come together.”

Florsch said the network's move to Level 2 should be “quick and decisive” now that Level 1 has been reached. It already has several client applications and is in the process of acquiring several authentication systems, he said.

Ethereum's layer-2 networks, or “bundles,” are designed to reduce transaction fees by allowing some data to be processed off-chain. However, some protocols have been criticized for pausing withdrawals or censoring transactions, suggesting they are centralized and controlled by the development team.

The terms “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” for Layer-2 refer to the major events first described by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. In a forum post, Buterin argued that users should accept some layer-2 centralization for now, but that developers should expect full decentralization over time.

Related: Vitalik Buterin wants scrolls to hit level 1 decentralization by year-end