Overview
Overview
United Protocol is a technology stack for scaling Ethereum, and we strive to be EVM-compatible while doing so. Being EVM-compatible means all the contracts and tools that work on Ethereum also work on United Protocol with minimal modifications. Users can experiment with exciting web3 apps, and developers can deploy smart contracts in an efficient, low-fee environment.At its core, United Protocol has been built with a modular architecture that combines an ZK-rollup protocol with an innovative data availability solution. This allows United Protocol to inherit security from Ethereum AND offer cheaper and more accessible data availability.​If you find any of these terms unfamiliar, we encourage you to visit Arbitrum and the pages that follow where we go over blockchain, rollups, and United Protocol's key innovations in a more approachable way.On the other hand, if these terms make you excited for the future of blockchain scaling we ncourage you to keep reading!
United Protocol Network vs. Non-Rollup Chains
Ethereum rollups, including United Protocol Network, leverage the Ethereum validator set and consensus protocol, which is widely regarded as more secure compared to other L1 validator sets. This grants United Protocol Network several advantages, such as:
Canonical bridging without relying on third-party bridges
Censorship resistance
Fund recovery options even in the event of critical issues on L2
Secured by Ethereum
United Protocol is a Layer-2 (L2) scalability solution built on top of Ethereum. The validator nodes collect transactions from users and commit them to Ethereum in the form of a "compressed block". This compression saves users expensive gas fees and increases the total possible throughput for transactions.By building on top of Ethereum, United Protocol inherits desirable features like-​
Secured by Ethereum: L2 state transitions are verified by Ethereum validators, going through the same consensus and settlement process as L1 transactions.
Common developer infrastructure: Smart contract development frameworks like Truffle, Hardhat, Foundry, Remix, etc., languages like Solidity, Vyper, Yul, etc., and libraries like Web3.js and ethers.js, etc. can all be used on United Protocol.
At the same time, United Protocol offers a superior user experience with multiple other benefits as compared to L1, such as-
Significantly lower gas fees: Users enjoy over 80% reduction in gas fees which are achieved through data compression and modular data availability.
Reduced latency and improved throughput: Users can customize transaction confirmation requirements, with the lowest security setting providing near real-time confirmation latencies (~1 milliseconds versus Ethereum's ~12 seconds). Additionally, United Protocol achieves a transaction throughput some 120 times greater than Ethereum (3000 TPS ,Ethereum's ~25 TPS)
Modular Architecture
United Protocol Network takes a modular approach with chain design. While monolithic chains perform transaction execution, consensus, settlement, and storage at the same network layer, these processes are handled by separate modules on United Protocol Network. In its initial Mainnet version, United Protocol Network functions as a Smart Contract Rollup with modular data availability. Hence
United Protocol's execution layer provides an EVM-compatible environment for transaction execution where the sequencer produces blocks on L2 and sends state root data to L1
Consensus and settlement take place on L1 Ethereum
Data availability services are provided to network actors through United Protocol DA powered by EigenDA technology that stores callback data that would be published to L1 in traditional rollups
Sequencer Properties
The centralized sequencer on United Protocol Network produces L2 blocks by including transactions in them in the order they are received by the nodes. It also publishes updated state roots to L1.We include can additional sequencer module referred to as Threshold Signature Scheme(TSS). This module consists of a set of whitelisted node operators who sign blocks and contribute to multi-party signatures that help improve the correctness of off-chain transaction execution results. In the event that an N of M threshold is not met, the sequencer may re-sequence a batch of L2 blocks, or transition to a backup sequencer.
Fraud Proofs
ZK-Rollups execute transactions that result in state transitions, and updated state data are published to L1 Ethereum assuming their validity and without providing any direct proofs for the same. United Protocol Network sends updated state data to a State Commitment Chain (SCC) contract on L1, where network actors can challenge its validity within a challenge period (currently set to 7 days). If the state data goes unchallenged, it is considered valid and final and withdrawal requests that rely on this state data can be processed by other smart contracts.If a commitment gets challenged, a verifier interacts with the challenger to narrow down the invalidity to a single state transition, at which point its validity is established by executing it. In case of a successful challenge, the state transition is discarded and the contract accepts the valid version of the updated state submitted by the challenger.
Data Availability
Data availability (of L2 batch data) is a critical aspect of Ethereum rollups, such that L1 validators can verify the L2 state. DA is generally the most expensive component of rollups, as it requires Ethereum L1 block space. Common industry approaches to data availability include:On-Chain L1: All data that is needed for proof construction is available on L1.Centralized DA Committees: Data for proof construction is not available on L1. There exists a committee tasked with supplying the data. This approach presents significant cost savings to the rollup, at the risk that data becomes unavailable.Modular Data Availability**: Standalone DA modules, like United Protocol DA powered by EigenLayer's EigenDA technology. Data availability is enabled via DA economic game theory involving rewards and stake slashing. Based on internal evaluations, this translates to a 30-70% cost savings compared to on-chain L1.
Key Features Of The United Protocol Network
Layer 2 solutions aim to improve blockchain scalability and performance without sacrificing security and decentralization features. They reduce the burden on the main chain and provide users with a faster and cheaper transaction experience by migrating part of the transaction and computing operations to the off-chain or parallel chain.
High performance: United Protocol can handle a throughput of up to 3000TPS, which allows it to handle a large number of transactions without being affected by the congestion and delay of the Ethereum mainnet.
Low cost: United Protocolprovides low transaction fees, which means that users can conduct transactions at a lower cost, and at the same time attract more developers and users to join the United Protocol ecosystem.
Openness: United Protocol is an open ecosystem where anyone can build applications and tools while also having free access to the network.
Security: United Protocol uses the ZK Rollup technology stack, which is a blockchain-based security mechanism that can ensure the decentralization and security of the network.
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