Linea is a developer-friendly network similar to Ethereum, but with zkEVM technology and rollups. It also includes quantum-resistant cryptography and the Canonical Messaging Service. So, What Is Linea Mainnet?
How Linea Works?
Consensys revealed the Linea network’s mainnet alpha on July 11, 2023, following successful testing. Information from the Linea Goerli testnet shows that more than 49 million transactions were carried out by over 5.5 million verified addresses.
Linea is a zkEVM of type 2. These type 2 zkEVMs are equivalent to EVM and do not alter any aspect of the system, allowing them to work with most Ethereum apps and enabling developers to utilize much of the current infrastructure. The EVM equivalence facilitates the easy transfer of current applications to Linea, as well as the development of new ones that would be costly on the Mainnet.
The main issue lies in enhancing the time it takes to prove, as proving Ethereum blocks can be a lengthy process. Linea tackles this challenge by employing zero-knowledge proofs, rollups, and the Linea Canonical Message Service.
How Transactions Work?
Submission: A transaction gets signed in a wallet and sent over to Linea, where it goes into the mempool, a temporary spot for transactions that are waiting to be processed.
Block building: The sequencer checks if the transaction is legit. If it is, they get sorted (usually by fees), put into a block, and executed. After that, a receipt is generated once the transaction is included.
State update: The transaction modifies Linea’s state and is kept in execution traces. At this point, it has soft finality, meaning it’s confirmed on Linea but not yet finalized on Ethereum.
Conflation: Several blocks are grouped into a batch so they can be proven together, which cuts down costs since one proof can cover multiple transactions.
Proof generation: A ZKP is created for the batch, verifying that all transactions were executed correctly without needing Ethereum to re-run them.
Finalization: The proof and batch are sent to the Ethereum network. Once they’re verified, transactions reach hard finality and are permanently recorded.
Conclusion
The attempts to expand the Ethereum blockchain using Layer 2 networks and independent EVM-compatible networks are nearly as crucial as the efforts to expand the main network itself. The Merge and other Ethereum 2.0 developments align with the latter. Linea and other Layer 2 solutions aim to alleviate the pressure on the main network.
The zkEVM sector is expanding with new projects offering various off-chain transaction solutions and better user experiences. Linea is competing with other options in the ZK and EVM market, and with more than 100 projects featured on their ecosystem page, smart contract projects and other applications are considering building on Linea.
Keep in mind that the Linea network is currently in its alpha mainnet phase, and it is not liable for any mistakes made by third-party applications running on the network. Be careful when using decentralized protocols. Remember, this article is for educational purposes only and does not offer financial guidance.