Optimism (OP) is one of the leading Ethereum (ETH) Layer-2 scalability solutions. Layer-2 refers to a secondary protocol built on top of an existing blockchain. A Layer-2 solution created on Ethereum, such as Optimism, aims to offer faster transaction speeds and scalability while benefiting from the security of the ETH mainchain.
As it is known, as the number of users and transactions on the Ethereum network increases, scalability problems begin to emerge. Accordingly, while transaction fees on the network have increased, transaction times have also extended. This has caused significant difficulties, especially in the development of decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. Accordingly, many Ethereum scalability projects have been developed. Optimism and its native cryptocurrency OP token are among them.