Layer by Layer Issue 34: Optimism, Avalanche, and Solana

Running a major blockchain with an abundance of on-chain activity is an ambitious task that requires balancing a number of key factors, including but not limited to: maintaining consistent user, validator, and developer growth, developing a robust and loyal community, building supporting infrastructure, and improving core network technologies. Active participation in a network is a valuable commodity, as developers who can continuously iterate products to meet market demand lie at the heart of building a strong user base. Active validators who can coordinate effectively with core devs also ensure proper functioning and security of the network. 

Gaps in this coordination between core devs and validators can even result in consensus failure, as we saw last week in the case of the Ethereum Beacon Chain’s seven-block reorg that was caused by the incomplete rollout of an important Ethereum client update. For newer L1s like Solana, communication between devs and validators is especially important for consistently updating the network to fix bugs and meet user needs. When dealing with consensus-breaking changes, the need for successful execution of network updates is magnified by the fact that many of these chains now hold billions of dollars of user capital in various DeFi protocols.