A recent report from Santiment shows which Layer 2 projects are making the most progress on GitHub, but only a few manage to stand out against the new technical direction that will mark the future of Ethereum.
The Ethereum ecosystem is going through a critical phase of technical evolution, evidenced by the intensity of work in its code repositories. A recent report from the analytics firm Santiment has revealed which Layer 2 projects are leading the industry in terms of development activity on GitHub over the past 30 days.
For market analysts and cryptocurrency holders, this indicator is crucial, as the frequency of code updates often precedes product innovation and long-term network stability.
According to data collected in the last month, starknet tops the list by a significant margin, followed by Arbitum, zkSync, Optimism y CarteSiThese L2 platforms not only seek to scale Ethereum by reducing costs and increasing speed, but now face the challenge of redefining their utility in light of the new technical guidelines proposed by the founder of the main network.
Join Bit2Me and trade EthereumStarknet, Arbitrum and zkSync: the race to scale Ethereum
Santiment's ranking highlights a clear competition between two predominant technological architectures: ZK-Rollups and Optimistic Rollups. In first place is... Starknet (STRK), registering a development activity of 215,97 points in the last 30 days.
Starknet operates as a ZK-Rollup Starknet is a decentralized, general-purpose cryptocurrency. Its importance lies in its use of STARK technology, a cryptographic system that allows for off-chain transaction validation through complex mathematical proofs, offering privacy and scalability without sacrificing Ethereum's security. Unlike other solutions that copy the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Starknet uses its own language and virtual machine (Cairo VM), which explains the heavy workload its engineers face in maintaining and expanding such a unique infrastructure.
In second place, with 86,47 activity points, is Arbitrum (ARB)This protocol uses the technology of Optimistic Rollupswhich assumes that transactions are valid by default and only runs fraud tests if a dispute arises.
Arbitrum One, developed by Offchain Labs and managed by the Arbitrum DAO, has established itself as a leader in Total Value Locked (TVL) within the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. Its strong position in development suggests a continued focus on optimizing the efficiency of its smart contracts and expanding tools for developers seeking full compatibility with the EVM.
Rounding out the podium is zkSync (ZK) with 82,23 points. Similar to Starknet, zkSync is betting on the Zero-Knowledge technologyIts relevance in the digital ecosystem lies in the promise of combining the mathematical certainty of ZK proofs with a seamless user experience and transaction costs close to $0,01.
The developers of this L2 protocol are working intensively on the implementation of the «account abstraction", a feature that seeks to improve the usability of crypto wallets, eliminating the complexity of seed phrases and allowing fee payments in any token.
Trade the most developed cryptocurrencies hereOptimism and Cartesi: the new generation of Ethereum infrastructure
Fourth place in the Santiment ranking is occupied by Optimism (OP) with 81,87 activity points reported on GitHub in the last 30 days. Beyond being a simple Layer 2 network, Optimism has become vitally important for the development of OPStack, a standardized and open-source software suite that allows any developer to create their own L2 blockchain.
This modular approach to Optimism is the basis of the superchainIt's a network of interconnected chains that share security and communication protocols. Their engineers are focused on perfecting this technology stack, which has already been adopted by major institutional players to launch their own networks.
In fifth position stands out Cartesian (CTSI) With 54,83 points, it is a project that offers a different value proposition than its competitors.
Cartesi introduces a virtual machine capable of running a full Linux operating system. This allows developers to build decentralized applications (DApps) using traditional programming languages and standard software tools that have existed for decades, instead of being limited to Solidity, Ethereum's native language. Its presence in the top 5 It highlights the demand for solutions that reduce the barrier to entry for programmers from the traditional technology sector into Web3.
In short, these five projects operate on the premise that Ethereum functions as a global settlement layer, while they handle the heavy computing. However, the average transaction cost on these Ethereum-backed networks has dropped to $0,008, facilitating near-instantaneous transactions for international payments and financial operations.
Buy Ethereum L2 tokens on Bit2MeVitalik Buterin ushers in a new era for Ethereum scalability
The intense development in these L2 networks occurs in a context of strategic re-evaluation proposed by Vitalik Buterin.
In a recent reflection published on the X platform, the co-founder of Ethereum acknowledged that the strategy focused exclusively on rollups and Layer 2 solutions requires adjustments, given that the development toward full decentralization has been slower than projected. As he has informed In this interview, Buterin highlighted that the Ethereum main network has improved its scalability beyond expectations thanks to upgrades like Pectra and Fusaka, keeping fees low and paving the way for future improvements like Glamsterdam, which will expand gas limits.
Given this scenario, Buterin proposes that Layer 2 networks no longer be viewed as mandatory extensions for scalability but rather as a spectrum of specialized services. The founder urged developers, including the teams behind Starknet, Arbitrum, and the other ranking leaders, to seek a different added valueAmong the suggested features are enhanced privacy, the development of specialized virtual machines not compatible with EVM, ultra-low latency for high-frequency trading, and applications focused on identity and artificial intelligence.
To facilitate this technical transition, Buterin expressed his conviction regarding the need to implement native rollup pre-builds in the Ethereum base protocol. This would allow the main network to natively verify zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-EVM), reducing reliance on centralized bridges and fostering more secure interoperability.
Under this new vision, the success of Layer 2 projects will not be measured solely by their transaction volume, but by their ability to offer unique functionalities that the main Ethereum network cannot cover on its own.
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