In the field of Ethernet scalability solutions, the Layer 2 (L2) concept is widely recognized for providing an efficient and secure, low-cost user experience on top of solving scalability problems.

However, L2 also has certain limitations in that it cannot effectively integrate various hardware resources, including data availability, zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) computing power and peer-to-peer (P2P) nodes. This, in turn, has given rise to the concept of modular blockchain.

A modular blockchain is a blockchain network architecture that uses modular design ideas. This architecture allows developers to customize their desired blockchain applications by combining and disassembling various functional modules.

In a modular blockchain, different functional modules can be treated as independent subsystems and these subsystems can interact through standard interfaces or protocols. This design approach allows developers to select the functional modules they need and combine them together to meet their specific needs.

For example, in a modular blockchain, developers can choose the modules they need such as consensus mechanisms, data storage schemes, virtual machines, and smart contracts, and combine them to create a complete blockchain system that meets their needs. Such a design can significantly improve development efficiency, allowing developers to build blockchain applications that better suit their needs faster.

Opside: ZK-RaaS + Modularity + Three-tier Architecture

Opside is a ZK-Rollup-as-a-Service (ZK-RaaS) decentralized network built on a modular blockchain concept. Through a complex three-tier blockchain architecture, Opside combines the benefits of Proof of Stake (PoS) and Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanisms. This design provides Web3 developers with a powerful and feature-rich zkEVM chain that can be easily generated with a single click.

On April 6, 2023, Opside announced the closing of a $4 million seed round of funding led by Web3.com Ventures. The seed round funding will be used to accelerate Opside's growth, expand its team and scale its operations.

Core Feature #1: Three-Layer Blockchain Architecture

Opside's three-tier architecture is built on top of L2, which seamlessly integrates various modules and provides an external Zero-Knowledge-Rollup-as-a-Service (ZK-RaaS) platform. Breaking down the three-layer architecture, we can find that it specifically includes:

1. L1, public chain

For example, Ether, BNB Chain and Polygon.

2. L2, Opside Chain

Opside provides extensive decentralized consensus, data availability and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) computing power. All transactions and data generated on the chain are verified and stored by L2. As a result, transactions can be executed quickly, while keeping costs low.

3. L3, Rollup Layer

Rollups offload resource-intensive computation from the chain to increase scalability. opside offers several types of Zero-Knowledge-Rollup Software Development Kits (SDKs), especially zkEVM, including Polygon Hermez, Scroll, Taiko, zkSync, and more. Developers can easily deploy their ZK-Rollup projects on Opside's Layer 3 (L3) with a single click, and the distributed Opside network will provide all the necessary hardware resources.

On top of that, the layers can be interconnected via different cross-link bridges, enabling assets to be seamlessly transferred between layer 1 (L1) to layer 2 (L2) or layer 3 (L3).

Core Feature 2: Decentralized ZK-RaaS

Opside's Layer3, also known as the Rollup layer, is a scaling solution based on which all ground transactions are executed off-chain and therefore do not have to compete for block space with the valuable execution layer.Rollup enables scalability by moving expensive computational processes from on-chain to off-chain, while keeping validation results on-chain.

After a transaction is executed, the transaction data or proof is then sent to the execution layer for validation and finalization at the execution layer. Thus, the Rollup scaling solution is protected by the same security measures as the execution layer, which provides Rollup's security assurance.

Zero-knowledge EVM (zkEVM) recreates the proof/verification circuitry of existing EVM opcodes, enabling smart contracts to execute in a ZK-friendly environment. opside L3 uses multiple zkEVMs to efficiently verify the correctness of program execution for different dapp requirements.

Specifically, Opside's Layer3 will include the following types of ZK-Rollup environments:

1、Generic environment

Generic environment means that Opside will provide a generic ZKRollup in Layer3 to allow common users and developers to interact with each other. To ensure a secure, stable and reliable zkEVM to run a generic Rollup environment, Opside will work on two fronts:

1) Continuously follow and study current open source zkEVM projects in the market, including Polygon Hermez, Scroll, Taiko, etc. Depending on the characteristics and specifics of each project (such as open source and code stability), Opside will selectively integrate these projects.

2) Opside also maintains a close relationship with ZKWasm, an extension framework under development that aims to provide a friendly environment for applications from the traditional Webassembly community, including web, gaming and social applications.

2、Application-specific environment

With respect to application-specific Rollup, Opside will provide a separate runtime environment for projects that need it through specialized configuration and optimization to meet their various needs in terms of performance and economic models. Building on an application-specific zkRollup is similar to building on a generic Rollup, with the only difference being the use of unique RPC endpoints and contract information. Since zero-knowledge proofs still need to be submitted to L2, these customized changes do not affect the security of such Rollups. These rollups will need to register for Opside's native rollup slot, and will then enjoy additional features including cross-rollup communication, pre-compiled ZKP validation contracts, and more.

Opside also plans to design and implement dedicated circuitry for these application-specific Rollups. The technical team will modify the underlying Rollup circuitry and opcodes to better fit the operational logic of the application. This modification will also significantly reduce the operational overhead for the project parties.

Core Feature 3: Hybrid PoS and PoW Consensus

ZK-Rollup has many advantages over OP-Rollup, including enhanced security, no trust requirements, and faster withdrawals. A key technical difference is that ZK-Rollup requires powerful ZKP computing power to support zero-knowledge proof generation.

In the future, the Opside network may consist of hundreds or thousands of ZK-Rollups that will collectively form the Rollup layer, which will create a large demand for ZKP computation. To solve this problem, miners must be incentivized to participate and contribute to the ecosystem.

Numerous Ether miners have been eliminated as Ether transitions from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Acquisition (PoS), which represents a market value of approximately $12 billion.

As ZK-Rollup technology matures, ZKP generation requires significant hardware and mining equipment such as FPGAs and GPUs. opside's hybrid PoS and PoW consensus not only employs a PoS mechanism to incentivize verifiers to provide data availability, but also uses PoW to encourage miners to provide ZKP compute power. This approach provides a comprehensive hardware solution for ZK-Rollup. All participants, including users, developers, node operators and miners, can benefit from Opside's economic model.

Opside's goal is for ZK-Rollup to inherit not only the security of previous layers, but also the degree of decentralization. Ethernet is currently the largest decentralized network in the world, with over 500,000 nodes providing massive decentralization. These nodes will also provide a large amount of data availability in the future thanks to data sharding technology. This is one of the reasons why Opside has chosen to enhance PoS consensus based on ETH 2.0.

Opside expects to host more than 100,000 nodes. In order to bring Rollup to a similar level of decentralization, one possible strategy is to have Opside Chain's block proponents propose blocks for the Rollup Layer. This approach separates the builder and proponent of the Rollup layer: the builder is backed by an unlicensed P2P network, while the proponent follows the block proponent in the second layer. This eliminates the availability risk associated with a single node and provides resistance to miner extractable value (MEV) and censorship.

Hybrid PoS and PoW consensus requires the following division of labor:

1. Layer 2 (L2)

PoS: Opside will adopt and improve on ETH 2.0's PoS, resulting in a consensus layer with over 100,000 verifiers. Anyone can use IDE tokens to become a verifier. In addition, Opside's PoS is provable, and verifiers will periodically submit PoS proofs to the first layer. Verifiers can earn block rewards and Gas fees in the second layer.

2. Layer 3 (L3)

PoS (Sequencer): The verifier proposes not only Layer 2 blocks but also Layer 3 blocks (i.e., data batches); that is, the verifier is also the sequencer of the original volume in Layer 3. The sequencer can earn the Gas fee of the transaction from the layer 3 transaction.

PoW (verifier): Anyone can be a prover of a native volume as long as they have enough computing power to perform ZKP calculations. The prover generates a ZK proof for each local volume in Layer 3. The prover generates ZK proofs for each block in layer 3 submitted by the sequencer according to the PoW rules.

A ZK-Rollup is similar to a computer with two core components: a hard drive and a CPU. while PoS provides data availability similar to a hard drive, PoW provides computational power similar to a CPU. opside attempts to strike a balance between PoS and PoW so that each actor fully realizes its value and benefits, while providing better performance and user experience for a large network of ZK-Rollups Opside attempts to strike a balance between PoS and PoW so that each actor realizes its full value and benefits, while providing better performance and user experience for large-scale ZK-Rollups networks.

Achieving this balance will ensure that the Opside network can effectively support the massive demand for ZKP computing generated by the large number of ZK-Rollups. By effectively leveraging the benefits of PoS and PoW mechanisms, Opside can create a robust and sustainable ecosystem that meets the needs of all its participants, including users, developers, node operators, and miners.

Token Economy

The official token of the Opside network is the IDE, whose maximum supply is 10 billion, with the following allocation details.

1) 10% - allocated to VCs

2) 14% - allocated to Opside team and contributors

3) 15% - allocated to the community, which includes early testers, ecosystem project developers and potential future airdroppers

4) 28% - earmarked for the Foundation to support ecosystem development, follow-on funding and other uses.

5) 33% - as a reward for verifiers and miners who provide data storage services, generate zero-knowledge proofs, maintain the blockchain and execute contracts.

In line with the mixed PoS and PoW consensus, block rewards will be divided into two parts and distributed to verifiers and miners respectively. In the Pre-Alpha test network phase, the temporary block reward ratio for PoS and PoW is fixed at 1:2, i.e. 11% of the IDE is allocated to verifiers and 22% to miners. This ratio will be dynamically adjusted in the future based on the supply and demand of ZKP computing power across the network.

Community Governance

After the launch of the main Opside network, an Opside DAO will be established to collectively decide the future of the network, featuring a rational process and mechanism.

All updates to the parameters and mechanisms of the main Opside network will be decided through the Opside DAO. opside represents a collaborative economy that evolves over time, and its future improvements will take the form of DAO proposals.

As the network expands, it is critical to build an economy that can operate robustly and independently without extensive tools and subsidies.

Conclusion

As a ZK-Rollup-as-a-Service (ZK-RaaS) decentralized network built on a modular blockchain concept, Opside innovatively builds a three-layer blockchain architecture and employs a hybrid PoS and PoW consensus by combining the benefits of proof-of-stake and proof-of-work.

As Opside continues to grow and evolve, it will likely play an important role in facilitating the adoption of ZK-Rollup technology and promoting a decentralized, scalable and secure environment for blockchain applications. This will contribute to the long-term success and widespread use of ZK-Rollups in the blockchain space.