Optimism
An Ethereum Layer 2 using Optimistic Rollups to enable fast, cheap transactions while maintaining Ethereum security.
What is Optimism?
Optimism is an Ethereum Layer 2 using optimistic rollups to deliver faster and cheaper transactions while inheriting Ethereum's security. Existing Ethereum smart contracts deploy with minimal changes.
How does Optimism work?
Transactions are batched and posted to Ethereum mainnet. The system assumes all transactions are valid a 7-day challenge period allows anyone to submit a fraud proof if they detect an error.
After the period expires, transactions are finalized by Ethereum's consensus.
Why does Optimism matter?
It reduces gas fees from dollars to cents, making DeFi and social apps accessible to a much broader audience a key part of Ethereum's long-term scaling roadmap.
Key features of Optimism
- EVM-compatible existing contracts deploy as-is
- Inherits Ethereum security
- OP token governance via the Optimism Collective
- Open-source OP Stack for building new chains
Examples of Optimism
Uniswap on Optimism costs a fraction of mainnet. Bridging ETH to Optimism takes ~1 minute; withdrawing to L1 requires the 7-day challenge period.