Vitalik Buterin Backs Critics of L3 Solutions

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin joined the debate on the value of third-layer solutions, referencing his post from a year and a half ago.

Re-upping my post from 1.5 years ago on “layer 3s”:https://t.co/iHWEgPA7Hl

The summary is that layer 3s don’t magically improve throughput even more, though they can reduce some fixed costs of batch publishing and deposits/withdrawals.

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) April 2, 2024

Over the weekend, a debate erupted online regarding the usefulness of L3 protocols for the Ethereum ecosystem. Several speakers pointed out the advantages these solutions offer.

Others criticized them. One of the most detailed critiques came from Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron, who explained why his team does not engage in such projects. His main point was that third-layer networks not only fail to aid in scaling Ethereum but may also pose a threat to its security.

“In summary, layer 3s don’t magically increase throughput, though they can reduce some fixed costs of batch publishing and deposits/withdrawals,” Buterin wrote.

He attached a link to his article titled “What kinds of L3s make sense?”, published in September 2022. In it, Buterin expressed the view that this class of networks is not directly intended for scaling. Rather, such protocols will implement certain “customized functions” for L2, he suggested at the time.

However, there are other, potentially “lighter”, ways to get the same cost savings that you get from L3s. pic.twitter.com/WTijiTAOE1

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) April 2, 2024

“However, there are other, potentially ‘lighter’ ways to get the same cost savings that you expect from L3,” Buterin concluded in his reflections.

Buterin, the Ethereum co-founder, believes that after the Dencun update, the focus should be on improving L2 networks for blockchain scaling.