L2 Stacks Trend is Rising, Who Will Win Between ARB and OP?

2023-09-12, 03:01

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![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/1692587449analysis.jpeg)
## What is a Software Stack?
Blockchain DAPP is entering the Rollup era, and the <a href="/id/price/ethereum-eth" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Ethereum</a> mainnet is gradually becoming a central role responsible for system security and final settlement layer. Faced with a situation of high Gas, low TPS, and low programming freedom, Web3 developers will have to face the following solutions:

-Looking for other high concurrency and secure L1
-Migrate to L2 with higher scalability
-Looking for customizable Stack L3 solutions

The first solution seemed feasible in the previous round of public chain wars, but with the rise of L2, traffic will migrate to L2. However, the second solution still puts developers on a dependence on specific ecosystems. Therefore, using L2 <a href="/id/price/stacks-stx" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Stacks</a> to create scalable and customizable solutions will become an important option for developers.

StarkNet's parent company, StarkWare, first proposed L3 as early as the end of 2021, which refers to a highly scalable hierarchy built on L2. We can understand it as adding a buff on top of L2, which theoretically inherits the security of the Ethereum main network, while also having efficient inter-chain interoperability and lower interaction costs compared to L2.

Although the industry has not yet provided a clear definition of L3, it cannot be denied that the SuperChain of OP Stacks, L3 of Arbitrum Orbit, and Hyperchain and <a href="/id/price/polygon-matic" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Polygon</a> CDK of zkSync have sparked a software stack war based on L3 architecture.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/16944875248931694487448_.pic.jpg)
Source from:  Twitter@ <a href="/id/price/0x-zrx" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">0x</a> Ning 0x
## OP Stack: Institutional Adoption and Ecosystem Prosperity
As early as October 2022, <a href="/id/price/optimism-op" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Optimism</a> proposed the concept of OP Stack. It provides developers with standardized open-source module components, allowing them to build L2 blockchains with their specific needs on Ethereum without a license using Optimistic Rollups.

The OP Stack consists of four main components:

One is the mainnet. OP Mainnet is a cheap and fast Ethereum Layer2 network compatible with the Ethereum virtual machine EVM.

The second is the contract. A smart contract that implements the core logic and functions of the OP Stack. OP contracts include State Transition Systems (STS), Fraud Provers (FP), State Commitment Chains (SCC), and Canonical Transaction Chains (CTC).

The third is service. It can provide data availability, data synchronization, and communication services between Layer1 and Layer2.

The fourth is tools. Used to promote the development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and debugging of OP Stack-based blockchain.

Simply put, OP Stack enables developers to easily and effectively build their own blockchain to meet the needs of specific scenarios. The OP Stack is designed to enhance interoperability within the Ethereum community, marking the initial stage of rapid growth in highly compatible Layer2 and Layer3, collectively referred to as the op-chains in the Optimism ecosystem.

According to the official outlook of OP, the boundary between op-chains will disappear, forming a unified Superchain (Superchain). Superchain is a decentralized network composed of OP chains, seamlessly integrating multiple operation chains to share security, communication layer, and open source technology stack (OP stack).
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/16944875788941694487491_.pic.jpg)
Source from:  internet
 
Thanks to the highly open-source-friendly modular architecture and the advantages of B-end institutional adoption, OP Stack is far ahead regarding freedom, openness, and ecological prosperity. The on-chain TVL built using OP Stack has accumulated nearly $3 billion.

For example, the Base Chain launched by Coinbase, the Zora Network focused on NFT protocol, the decentralized option trading platform Aevo, and the Public Goods Network developed by <a href="/id/price/gitcoin-gtc" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Gitcoin</a> have all been deployed and launched based on OP Stack. In addition, BNBd's L2 chain opBNB, green blockchain <a href="/id/price/celo-celo" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">Celo</a>, and the decentralized trading platform UniDex Exchange are also being built and tested based on OP Stack.
## Arbitrum Orbit: New Dominator of the Game Track
Arbitum Orbit is one of the four core products of Arbitum, and it is a scalable solution based on the Arbitum Rollup settlement layer launched by the Arbitum Foundation in March this year.

The dilemma of ARB is that although it has launched the Orbiter L3 stack, which competes with the OP stack, in addition to the strong L2 backbone of the Orbitrum one business data and the higher performance Orbitrum nova, there are not many large projects that are willing to define themselves as L3 and use the Orbitrum one as their DA layer during the flourishing stage of L2, Projects with good industrial resources (users, developers, IP content) often tend to build L2, which means a higher valuation ceiling and broader user orientation.

Developers can build exclusive application chains based on existing Arbitum L2 chains (One, Nova, Test Goerli), with flexible choices in consensus mechanisms, governance modes, fee tokens, privacy, etc. Compared to OP Stack, it provides developers with highly autonomous economic models and other options.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/16944876198951694487505_.pic.jpg)
Source from: Internet public materials
 
Recently, Sanko GameCorp, Layer 3 blockchain Xai, and others focused on gaming, have become the first batch of partners for Arbitrum Orbit. The Ethereum expansion project AltLayer has also announced support for Layer 3 blockchain Arbitrum Orbit. Syndr, a derivatives trading platform, announced the launch of a testnet based on Arbitrum Orbit, becoming the first Arbitrum Orbit Chain ecosystem DeFi protocol.

Arbitrum, which dominates the social and gaming sectors, has no slower layout than OP Stack in the Orbit chain, but it also has its problems. The available data layer of Arbitrum Orbit is limited to Arbitrum One, and commercial use requires approval from the Arbitrum Foundation or DAO. Arbitrum Orbit chain is not a completely isolated blockchain network, and interoperability functions have not yet been opened, Not as friendly and open to developers as OP Stack.
## Conclusion
The competition for modular components of "One Click Chain Launch" has just begun. OP Stack, relying on its advantages in early intervention and institutional collaboration communities, has occupied a large market share, ranking first in terms of ecological freedom, prosperity, and size. However, the Orbitrum Orbit is highly customizable and particularly suitable for high-capacity use cases such as games and social media. With its huge L2 network effect, it may unlock more new gameplay.

Meanwhile, alternative solutions such as Polygon CDK, which excels in marketing and resource integration, and ZK Stack, which focuses on efficiency and security, have gradually joined the battlefield. It is unclear who wins or loses. However, the L2 Stack, which continuously maintains innovation and iteration, openness, and transparency, and adheres to decentralization, will gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Whether the prosperity of the ecosystem can empower existing governance tokens still needs long-term observation.

Get to know more about Web3：https://www.gate.io/web3

<div class="blog-details-info">
<div>Author:**Peter L.**, Gate.io Researcher
<div>Translator:Joy Z.
<div class="info-tips">\*This article represents only the views of the researcher and does not constitute any investment suggestions.
<div>\*Gate.io reserves all rights to this article. Reposting of the article will be permitted provided Gate.io is referenced. In all cases, legal action will be taken due to copyright infringement.
</div>

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