A new L2 paradigm: decentralized sequencers, unified system, and 100ms confirmations instead of 12-second block times.
Here’s how it all becomes possible
A few months ago, Vitalik presented at Arbitrum Day Brussels, discussing various ways to think about L2s.
In one of his slides, he mentioned that an ideal L2 should be "based."
This introduces a new type of L2, different from the main Optimistic and ZK rollups.
So far, you may have only heard of ZK and Optimistic Rollups.
The critical difference with Based Rollups is that they use decentralized L1 sequencers, unlike ZK and Optimistic Rollups, which rely on their own centralized sequencers.
Vitalik doesn’t recommend based Rollups for no reason.
They offer many advantages:
• Liveness Guarantees: They inherit the robust liveness guarantees of L1.
• Simplicity and Security: They benefit from the security and decentralization of Ethereum’s L1.
• Economic Alignment: More value is captured back into Ether.
• Synchronous Composability.
However, Based Rollups face a significant challenge: the transaction confirmation time needs to be around 100ms.
This is difficult with Based Rollups since they rely on decentralized sequencers, which depend on Ethereum validators, who typically process transactions in about 12 seconds.
This issue can be solved with pre-confirmations (preconfs) that enhance transaction reliability by providing guarantees from Ethereum validators.
Unlike soft confirmations from centralized sequencers, preconfs penalize validators if they fail, ensuring faster, 100ms confirmations with higher inclusion certainty.
And that’s precisely what @Puffer Finance is developing.
It’s the first Based Rollup aiming to unify Ethereum’s fragmented ecosystem.
UniFi preconf AVS enables near-instant finality for both L1 and L2 transactions. Everything stems from this innovation!
UniFi AVS not only accelerates Ethereum L1 transaction speed but also introduces decentralization.
Unlike centralized sequencers, UniFi AVS ensures binding confirmations backed by economic security, turning promises into enforceable commitments with real penalties for failure.
Puffer’s Liquid Restaking Token (pufETH) generates yield by selling Validator Tickets, allowing node operators to rent validator keys and earn staking rewards.
Anti-slashers prevent validator equivocation, ensuring secure pre-confirmations and maintaining Ethereum’s validation stability.
This doesn’t just boost speed, but it also plays a huge role in decentralizing Ethereum and solving its fragmentation issue.
You can seamlessly perform transactions between different layers: L1<->L2, L2<->L1.
This also opens up opportunities for EigenLayer validators to increase their profits with UniFi AVS, as well as for builders who can create Based app-chains, the next generation of applications.
