The Layer2 modular war begins: OP Stack VS ZK Stack, who will be the final winner?

Author | Callum@Web3CN.Pro
As the current mainstream Layer 2 expansion solution, Rollup has contributed to Ethereum's pursuit of scalability, and the two Rollup solutions, OptimisticRollup and ZKRollup, have gradually been verified by the market. After that, Layer 2 expansion began to usher in a multi-Rollup direction. Anyone can quickly start their rollup by using the SDK and run applications on the rollup with high performance and low cost. In the future Layer 2 expansion field, Rollup will gradually occupy a dominant position. In this process, the most important thing is to simplify the way developers deploy various types of rollups.
On June 26, zkSync launched ZK Stack, a modular open source framework for building zk-driven blockchains. ZK Stack is a free, modular open source framework designed to build customized ZK-supported L2 and L3 (called hyperchains) based on the code of zkSync Era. Prior to this, the Optimism team launched the scalability solution OP Stack to create a shared, high-quality, fully open source system for creating new Layer2 blockchains.
In this article, we will compare the similarities and differences between the two solutions, their respective advantages and disadvantages, and usage scenarios. In the current increasingly competitive Layer 2 market, who will break through the siege and create greater ecosystem interoperability?
 OP stack
OP Stack is a standardized, shared, and open source development stack that powers Optimism and is maintained by the Optimism Collective. It embraces three design principles: practical, concise, and extensible. As a public product of the Ethereum and Optimism ecosystems, OP Stack consists of many different software components that together form the backbone of Optimism.
Features of OP Stack
OP Stack is primarily focused on creating a shared, high-quality, fully open source system for creating new Layer2 blockchains. By coordinating shared standards, the Optimism Collective can avoid repeatedly rebuilding the same software in isolated islands. OP Stack can be seen as a software component that can help define specific layers of the Optimism ecosystem or act as a module in an existing layer. Although the core of OP Stack is currently the infrastructure for running Layer2 blockchains, OP Stack can theoretically be extended to layers above the underlying blockchain, including tools such as block browsers, messaging mechanisms, and governance systems.
OP divides blockchain into three layers: consensus layer, execution layer and settlement layer. Then the three layers are standardized. In terms of specific architecture, OP Stack can be divided into six layers:
DA (Data Availability Layer): The data availability layer defines the source of raw data for Layer2 based on OP Stack. OP Stack can use one or more data availability modules to obtain its input data. Ethereum DA is currently the most widely used data availability module in OP Stack, but in the future more and more other chains will be able to connect.
Sequencing: The sorting layer determines how user transactions on the OP Stack chain are collected and published to the data availability layer module being used. In the default Rollup configuration of the OP Stack, sorting is usually handled by a single dedicated sorter. Rules defined in the derivation layer usually limit the ability of the sorter to retain transactions for more than a certain period of time. In the proposed future, sorting will be modular so that chains can easily choose and change the mechanism that controls their current sorter.
Derivation: The derivation layer defines how raw data from the data availability layer is processed to form processed inputs that are sent to the execution layer via the standard Ethereum engine API.
Execution: The execution layer defines the state structure within the OP Stack system. The execution layer abstraction provides an entry point for EVM modifications or completely different underlying VMs.
Settlement: It is used to verify the current transaction results. After confirmation by Layer2, the confirmation information will be sent to the target blockchain for final settlement to obtain data validity.
Governance: Governance refers to the common set of tools and processes used to manage system configuration, upgrades, and design decisions.
OP's goal is to upgrade to a super chain through this architecture. OP Stack deconstructs the various components required to build a Layer2 chain and packages them as separate modules. Developers can combine the most suitable modules to create their own Layer2, allowing developers to implement proprietary chains more simply and efficiently.
Bedrock Upgrades
The completion of the Bedrock upgrade represents a complete modular rewrite of the core components of the OP mainnet Rollup architecture. The first official version of the OP Stack is launched, which is also the next major version of the Optimism network, which further narrows the gap between Optimism and Layer1 Ethereum. The Bedrock version will support the use of multiple proof schemes and multiple clients to attract different developers and project parties. In addition, it will follow up on the decentralization of technology through different routes while maintaining the decentralization of the governance structure. This provides key advantages for OP to achieve super chains in the future:
Reduce network fees: The data compression strategy has been optimized. When submitting data to L1, the Gas Fee associated with EVM execution can be eliminated, which can reduce additional fees by about 10%; Reduce deposit waiting time: Support for Layer1 reorganization has been introduced in the node software, and deposits are expected to be confirmed within 3 minutes; Improve proof modularity: The proof system is abstracted separately from the OP Stack, and you can choose between fault-tolerant proofs or validity proof mechanisms such as Zk-Snark; Improve node performance: By executing multiple transactions at once in a single rollup block, 15G of data can be reduced each year. Improve Ethereum equivalence: Multiple deviations from Ethereum in previous versions have been removed, and support for EIP-1559, chain reorganization, and other Ethereum features that exist on Layer1 have been added.
After Bedrock completed the upgrade, it not only improved Optimism's Layer2 Rollup, but also took Optimism one step further in upgrading to a superchain. The next major scalability improvement of OP Stack is the introduction of the concept of superchain: a chain network with shared bridging, decentralized governance, upgrades, communication layers, etc., all built on OP Stack. The launch of the superchain will merge the Optimism mainnet and other chains into a unified OP chain network, marking an important step in bringing scalable and decentralized computing to the world.
OP Stack simplifies the process of creating Layer2 blockchains and supports all Optimism software. As Optimism develops, OP Stack will also develop. The Base Layer2 that Coinbase is preparing to launch this year will be developed based on OP Stack, and BNB Chain has also announced that the opBNB testnet is built on OP Stack. OP Stack currently appears in the form of software behind the Optimism mainnet, and will eventually appear in the form of the Optimism superchain and its governance.
 ZK Stack
ZK Stack is a free, modular, open-source framework designed to build customized ZK-powered L2 and L3 (called hyperchains) based on the code of zkSync Era. The core of ZK Stack provides two key features: sovereignty and seamless connectivity. Developers have full rights to the code and enjoy unrestricted autonomy to customize and shape every aspect of the chain. Hyperchains operate independently and rely only on Ethereum Layer1 to ensure their activity and security, while the hyperbridge network facilitates the interconnection of each hyperchain, enabling trustless, fast and cheap interoperability. In general, ZK Stack has three characteristics: open source, composability, and modularity.
Features of ZK Stack Free: ZK Stack is developed under a fully permissive MIT/Apache open source license, ensuring it is freely available. Composable: Hyperchains built with ZK Stack can be seamlessly connected in a trustless network with low latency and shared liquidity. Modular: Customize and shape every aspect of your hyperchain, from the choice of sorter and data availability model to defining a unique token economy. Ultra-low-cost: Due to the simplicity of ZK proofs, certain transaction types (such as oracle updates) are 1000x cheaper on ZK Stack than other rollup platforms. In addition to ZK rollup mode, ZK Stack can be optionally extended with extremely affordable zkPorter accounts for appropriate use cases. Proven: zkSync Era is the most widely adopted ZK rollup on Ethereum, as evidenced by the impressive transactions in TVL and transaction volume. With this track record, ZK Stack is a safe choice in terms of security and reliability. Future-proof: ZK rollups are the future of Ethereum scaling. To realize the full potential of ZK’s superpowers, build the right architecture from the beginning. Upgrades of ZK Stack
ZK Stack is also a major upgrade for the zkSync core team. From zkSync Era to zkstack, the team's perspective has gradually expanded from building ZK technology to helping many teams understand and contribute to ZK Stack. As more hyperchains are launched, the number of core contributors will increase, and the community will become the real owner of the zkSync network, especially when building customized hyperchains. If you build a general DeFi dapp or NFT project, it will be a simpler process to deploy it on an existing hyperchain such as zkSync Era, allowing it to be synchronized and combined with other protocols in the ecosystem.
In addition, ZK Stack allows you to build your own sovereign hyperchain without sacrificing interoperability and composability. This will greatly improve the super scalability of ZK Stack. Each hyperchain is seamlessly integrated into its infinitely scalable ecosystem, powered by shared provers and fractal scaling, thereby cultivating a complete liquidity network. In this ecosystem, users can quickly transfer assets in a trustless manner without incurring additional costs. Smart contracts will be called asynchronously across chains, and the hyperchains themselves will have sovereignty, enabling them to join alternative ecosystems and take their on-chain assets with them when they choose to leave.
Next, the ZK Stack team will modify the code base to make it easier to check out, configure, and deploy ZK Stack instances, achieving the ultimate goal of one-click deployment.
 OP Stack VS ZK Stack
The launch of ZK Stack is not so much a competition with OP Stack as it is a move towards a new situation of multi-chain interaction.
From a technical perspective, ZK Stack's hyperchain reuses Ethereum's security and consensus methods to the greatest extent, and can directly rely on Ethereum's security. Compared with OP's interactive fraud proof, ZK proof directly verifies state changes, without waiting for Ethereum's underlying state changes, simplifying the design and avoiding duplication of investment, improving the efficiency of inter-chain interactions. In comparison, OP Stack still has great limitations in asynchronous cross-chain calls: its state changes need to wait for Ethereum's underlying verification, and fraud proofs also need to wait for confirmation.
In addition, unlike OP stack, which focuses on the transformation of Layer2 market, ZK stack wants to include both Layer2 and Layer3 markets. Although both want to achieve a multi-chain empire through inter-chain interoperability, the Layer3 and multi-chain network built by ZK Stack attempts to develop highly customized expansion.
From an ecological perspective, OP Stack has a first-mover advantage. Soon after OP Stack was launched, it received support from many projects. In February of this year, Coinbase announced the launch of Base, a multi-chain Layer2 platform built on OP Stack, and will build a super chain with Optimism Collective. Secondly, OP Stack also received support from BNB Chain. On the evening of June 19, BSC announced the launch of a new expansion solution: opBNB, which is based on the Bedrock version of OP Stack and is compatible with EVM. In addition, many application development teams such as NFT trading market Zora and Magi, a client launched by a16z Crypto, have also begun to choose OP Stack to develop application chains.
In contrast, zkSync's own Layer2 has not been fully built, and it has been experiencing compatibility issues and downtime issues with ZkRoullup. The ecosystem is mostly dog ​​projects, with little support from well-known companies and projects. In this respect, zkSync's eagerness to build Layer3 cannot convince the market.
Summary
In terms of blockchain scalability, hyperchain and ultra-scalability are worth paying attention to, but from the current development, the project is still in its early stages. It is still unknown whether OP Stack with ecological advantages or ZK Stack with technical advantages will occupy the market. However, despite the differences in technology, details and views, they both have the goal of unlimited scalability. A new round of Ethereum's multi-chain scalability narrative is gradually unfolding.
 references
ON StacksDocs
Introducing the ZK Stack
The evolution paths of the five major Layer 2s: Why do they all move towards the OP Stack competitor launched by Superchain and L3zkSync? Can it win the L2 expansion battle?