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basic ideas

  • Scroll is a scaling solution that processes transactions outside of the main Ethereum chain, reducing congestion and making the network faster for users, even during periods of congestion.

  • Thanks to ZK pooling technology, Scroll can lower transaction fees on the Ethereum network, making decentralized applications and DeFi services more accessible and available to users.

  • Scroll seamlessly integrates with the Ethereum network, allowing developers to use existing tools and smart contracts without having to completely rewrite the code.

the introduction

If you’ve used the Ethereum network before, you’ve probably noticed that it can get a bit slow and expensive during times of high demand. As more people move to the Ethereum network to use decentralized applications, the network is likely to become congested, resulting in higher fees and slower transaction speeds, which is where Scroll comes in.

Scroll is a project designed to make the Ethereum network faster, cheaper, and more efficient, without sacrificing the security and decentralization that make Ethereum special. Let’s dive into what Scroll is and its scaling solutions.

What is Scroll (SCR)?

Scroll is a layer 2 scaling solution designed specifically for the Ethereum network. Simply put, it is a technology that runs on top of the Ethereum mainnet (layer 1) to handle transactions more smoothly. A key component of Scroll is a cryptographic technology called zero-knowledge stacks (ZK stacks), which has been a major game changer for speeding up transactions while keeping them secure.

With Scroll, transactions are processed outside of the Ethereum main chain, which helps avoid network congestion. Then, important data is sent back to Layer 1 of the Ethereum network to verify the accuracy and validity of all data. This means that you can still use all the great features of Dapps and tools on the Ethereum network, but without paying high fees or waiting long hours for confirmations.

Why does Ethereum need Scroll?

The Ethereum network can be thought of as a busy highway. When too many people try to use it at the same time, it slows down and the cost of using it (the network’s transaction fees) increases. As we all know, no one likes to pay exorbitant fees, especially when you’re just trying to send some crypto to a friend or use a decentralized application.

Ethereum developers are working hard to come up with solutions to fix this problem, but the network’s focus on security and decentralization makes scaling difficult. That’s where layer 2 solutions like Scroll come in — helping to take the burden off the Ethereum mainnet while maintaining security and decentralization.

How does Scroll work?

Assemblies Basics

As we learned, rollups are a clever way to process a set of transactions outside of the Ethereum mainnet (off-chain) and then send a summary of those transactions to layer 1 for approval. You can think of it as sending a mass text message to save time instead of messaging people one by one.

There are two types of rollups: Optimistic rollups and Zero-Knowledge rollups (ZK rollups). Scroll uses ZK rollups, which come with an extra layer of security. These rollups use something called Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) to ensure that off-chain transactions are processed correctly. This way, the Ethereum network doesn’t have to verify everything again, making the entire process faster and cheaper.

Three-layer scroll structure

The Scroll system consists of three main parts:

  1. Settlement Layer: This layer is Ethereum itself, and Scroll uses layer 1 of the Ethereum network for things like data availability and verifying ZK block proofs. Ethereum essentially acts as the final verifier that confirms everything is correct and in order.

  2. Chaining Layer: Here, Scroll processes and organizes transactions. This layer groups transactions into batches and sends the information back to the Ethereum network for safekeeping and verification.

  3. Proof Layer: This is where the magic of ZK blockchains happens, where a group of computers (called proofers) work together to create zero-knowledge proofs that prove that transactions were processed correctly. This layer ensures that everything is secure and ready for Ethereum approval.

Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM)

One of the interesting parts of Scroll is the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM). It sounds complicated, but it basically means that Scroll can handle Ethereum-like transactions using ZK pools without changing how Ethereum works. Developers don’t have to rewrite their code or create new tools to work with Scroll, which is a huge advantage.

Scroll's zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine enables full compatibility with Ethereum, making it easier for developers to use and migrate their dApps to this faster and more efficient system.

How to make transactions on Scroll

Transactions on Scroll go through a few important stages to make sure everything runs smoothly:

  1. Confirmation: First, the user sends the transaction either to the Ethereum mainnet (layer 1) or directly to Scroll (layer 2). Once the transaction is committed and added to the block, it is considered confirmed.

  2. Aggregation: Confirmed transactions are then grouped together into a batch, which is sent to the Ethereum main network, which makes sure the data is recorded correctly.

  3. Finalization: Finally, Scroll generates a proof of validity (thanks to the zero-knowledge aggregations we talked about earlier) and sends it to the Ethereum network. Once Ethereum verifies this proof, the transaction is complete. That’s it! Your transaction is now part of the official Ethereum blockchain, all without slowing things down.

Scroll Advantages

1. Better scalability

By processing transactions off-chain, Scroll dramatically increases the number of transactions that Ethereum can handle. This makes the network much faster, which is especially important given the growing popularity of decentralized applications on Ethereum.

3. Lower transaction fees

Scroll is very useful for crypto wallets, and since it can batch transactions and use ZK pools, the cost of using Ethereum is reduced. This makes the cost of using decentralized applications and cryptocurrency transfers lower.

3. Maintaining security

Even though transactions are processed off-chain, Scroll uses advanced ZK assemblies to ensure everything is secure and trustworthy. You don’t have to worry about the security of your transactions — Scroll is designed to be just as secure as if they were processed directly on Ethereum.

4. Ethereum compatibility

Scroll doesn’t require developers to change the way they build decentralized applications, as the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine ensures full compatibility with the existing Ethereum network infrastructure, meaning developers can easily start using Scroll without having to learn an entirely new system.

SCR Tokens

SCR tokens are designed to be a core part of the Scroll ecosystem, and here are some of the key use cases for SCR tokens:

  1. Governance: If you own SCR tokens, you can have a say in how Scroll evolves. SCR holders can vote on key decisions, from protocol updates to how the network operates.

  2. Network Support: Scroll relies on two important groups: the proof group and the chain group. Both groups make sure that everything is working properly, and are responsible for verifying transactions and organizing them into blocks. SCR tokens are used to reward both groups for their efforts, helping to maintain decentralization and security.

  3. Staking: Users and validators can stake SCR tokens to help secure the network and earn rewards. This is an important incentive to keep the Scroll network secure and functional.

Closing thoughts

Scroll (SCR) is an innovative layer-2 scaling solution that seeks to address the scalability challenges on the Ethereum network by leveraging zero-knowledge aggregations. By improving transaction throughput, reducing costs, and maintaining compatibility with the Ethereum ecosystem, Scroll makes it easier and cheaper for users and developers to interact with the Ethereum blockchain.

As the Ethereum network continues to grow, projects like Scroll will be critical in ensuring the network can handle the increasing demand for decentralized applications and services.

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