The Block: Coinbase-backed Base targets mainnet launch after Optimism’s Bedrock upgrade

The core team at Base, a blockchain network backed by Coinbase, said it is gearing up for an upcoming mainnet launch. The launch, however, is dependent on several conditions being met.

“Our launch criteria include demonstrated testnet stability, Optimism’s successful upgrade of Bedrock, and completion of reviews and audits,” the Base team noted in a blog post, emphasizing their goal of ensuring secure network operations.

The forthcoming Bedrock upgrade by Optimism, scheduled for June, is anticipated to enhance the security and resilience of the Optimism mainnet bridge. This improvement is considered vital for the projects built upon it, such as Base.

Built on Optimism’s development software stack, known as the OP Stack, Base is designed to serve as a rollup network, similar to Optimism. It aims to execute off-chain computations on a secondary layer to facilitate faster, cheaper transactions — all while maintaining the security benefits of the Ethereum mainnet. Furthermore, this solution could potentially become the default Layer 2 network for Coinbase’s on-chain products.

Base remains on testnet The project is in a testnet phase for now. Testnets are replicas of the actual network used for testing purposes. If the testnet operates smoothly and without glitches, it would be an indicator that the mainnet could function effectively as well.

The Base team reported the testnet has drawn interest from a range of developers and projects, including Blackbird, Thirdweb, OAK, and Parallel. Additionally, notable DeFi platforms like Uniswap and Aave are considering deploying on Base once it goes live.

The team added that after the mainnet rollout later this year, the network will enter a "genesis window" period, during which developers will be able deploy apps with direct support from the Base core team. The team said it does not plan to issue a network token.

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