Coinbase's Base mainnet officially opens to the general public

Quick Take

  • The Base network, backed by Coinbase, has now officially been opened to the public.
  • The Base network’s journey began with a testnet launch in February, followed by a developer-specific release in July.
  • To mark the launch, an event named “Onchain Summer” has been initiated.

Coinbase's Base mainnet has officially opened to the general public, featuring over 100 dapps and service providers as part of the Base ecosystem.

Users can explore these dapps and benefit from lower transaction fees and faster transaction speeds compared to Ethereum, said Jesse Pollak, the lead for protocols at Coinbase.

Since its testnet debut in February and the subsequent developer-only release in July, Base has integrated with a myriad of crypto projects, including DeFi protocols, wallets, bridges, oracles, and both analytics and infrastructure providers.

Base, developed on Optimism’s software stack known as the OP Stack, operates as a rollup network. Base is a scaling solution that processes transactions off the main Ethereum blockchain, thereby providing a more affordable network for dapps.

Moreover, this Layer 2 solution is anticipated to become the default network for Coinbase’s on-chain products. “We’re thrilled to announce that Base mainnet is now live and available for everyone. At launch, there are 100+ dapps and service providers available in the Base ecosystem, as well as deep integrations across the Coinbase product ecosystem,” said Pollak.

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Onchain Summer

Coinciding with Base’s public mainnet rollout, it has started what it calls an “onchain summer” event. Spanning several weeks, this event emphasizes promoting Base’s mainnet partner dapps in the realms of digital art, music, and gaming. Notably, users will have the option to mint a unique “Base, Day One” NFT in celebration of the Base mainnet’s opening.

In the lead-up to this launch, both developers and users have already transferred assets valued at over $100 million to the network. 


© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

TAGS
BASE

About Author

Vishal Chawla is The Block’s crypto ecosystems editor and has spent over six years covering tech protocols, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Vishal likes to delve deep into blockchain intricacies to ensure readers are well-informed about the continuously evolving crypto landscape. He is also a staunch advocate for rigorous security practices in the space. Before joining The Block, Vishal held positions at IDG ComputerWorld, CIO, and Crypto Briefing. He can be reached on Twitter at @vishal4c and via email at [email protected]

Editor

To contact the editor of this story:
Tim Copeland at
[email protected]