Arbitrum developers recently activated Stylus, an update that promises to expand the possibilities for developers in the blockchain ecosystem.
The recent activation of Arbitrum Stylus on the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova mainnets marks a significant milestone in the optimization and evolution of the blockchain ecosystem.
According to the developers, their new Stylus update, which was introduced on the third anniversary of the Arbitrum network launch, introduces innovative tools to improve efficiency and power in smart contract development.
Specifically, with the activation of Stylus on mainnet, Arbitrum developers can now write smart contracts in Rust and other popular smart contract programming languages, allowing them to explore new frontiers in creating innovative and original products on the blockchain.
Stylus revolutionizes the Arbitrum blockchain ecosystem
Arbitrum Stylus gives developers the ability to write smart contracts compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), using more efficient and secure smart contract programming languages such as Rust.
In a publication In a blog post, developers highlighted this flexibility as a crucial element for the development and growth of the blockchain ecosystem, especially considering that there are only around 20.000 blockchain developers writing protocols using Solidity, Ethereum's programming language, compared to the 3 million developers using Rust.
Stylus allows any programming language that compiles to WebAssembly (WASM) to be used for the creation of new smart contracts on Arbitrum, opening the door to a broader and more diverse development ecosystem. Blockchain developers on Arbitrum will also be able to use the C++ programming language, used by around 12 million developers worldwide.
Projects are already using Stylus
Since its launch, several projects have started to leverage the capabilities of Arbitrum Stylus to develop innovative solutions. One of these is Renegade Finance, which is building a decentralized “dark pool” that uses advanced techniques such as multi-party computation and zero-knowledge proofs to ensure privacy in asset transactions.
According to its founding engineer, Andrew, the speed and security of the project have been enhanced thanks to Stylus.
Another use case example of Arbitrum's new platform is Overlay, which has created an AMM (Automated Market Maker) contract called “Longtail.” This AMM allows for centralized liquidity, minimizing market risk and facilitating cheaper and safer interactions with tokens. Alex, founder of Superposition, has highlighted that Stylus has been instrumental in achieving a balance between expressiveness, security, and affordability in the creation of its DeFi suite.
In addition to the above examples, another project is using Stylus is Crypto Valley ExchangeAccording to its creators, Stylus enables Crypto Valley Exchange to implement advanced smart contracts that are fully interoperable with the Ethereum ecosystem, facilitating efficient portfolio margin management in derivatives trading.
Other better known projects, such as Etherscan y Open Zeppelin, are also supporting Arbitrum’s Stylus ecosystem, allowing users to verify Stylus contracts and build Stylus libraries for Rust, seeking to ensure the growth and expansion of this new ecosystem.
On the other hand, Galaxy Digital, one of the most recognized asset management firms in the world of cryptocurrencies, stressed that the activation of Stylus on the main network has made Arbitrum “the first major chain with multiple peer virtual machines and the first Ethereum rollup that enables smart contract support for both Solidity and Rust”With this, the firm expressed its perception that the network now has an important differentiator within an increasingly competitive landscape for Ethereum's Layer2 ecosystem.
An expanding ecosystem that opens new opportunities for developers
As Galaxy Digital put it, the launch of Stylus is not just about new tools, but also represents an opportunity for developers to get involved in creating an expanding ecosystem.
The implementation of this upgrade on the Arbitrum One and Nova mainnets represents a significant advancement in the development of blockchain technology. According to the firm, thanks to the efficiency benefits of WASM over EVM, Stylus enables the creation of more efficient, secure and interoperable smart contracts, which “It could easily be the spark to deliver new and innovative applications and rekindle interest in the battered crypto sector”.
With tools that enable the creation of more efficient smart contracts, as well as interoperability between different smart contract programming languages, Stylus opens up a world of possibilities for innovation in the cryptocurrency space.
