A Survey on Data Availability in Layer 2 Blockchain Rollups: Open Challenges and Future Improvements

Muhammad Bin Saif, Sara Migliorini () and Fausto Spoto
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Muhammad Bin Saif: Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Sara Migliorini: Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Fausto Spoto: Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy

Future Internet, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Layer 2 solutions have emerged in recent years as a valuable alternative to increase the throughput and scalability of blockchain-based architectures. The three primary types of Layer 2 solutions are state channels, sidechains, and rollups. The rollups are particularly promising, allowing significant improvements in transaction throughput, security, and efficiency, and have been adopted by many real-world projects, such as Polygon and Optimistic. However, the adoption of Layer 2 solutions has led to other challenges, such as the data availability problem, where transaction data processed off-chain must be posted back on the main chain. This is crucial to prevent data withholding attacks and ensure all participants can independently verify the blockchain state. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of existing rollup-based Layer 2 solutions with a focus on the data availability problem and discusses the major advantages and disadvantages of them. Finally, an analysis of open challenges and future research directions is provided.

Keywords: blockchain; layer 2; rollups; data availability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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