Unveiling the Law of Chains

Introducing the Law of Chains

The OP Stack was designed to be the most forkable, modular scaling infrastructure available. When it was introduced, it represented our confidence in the Ethereum community’s creativity. Released as open-source, it aimed to scale Ethereum while maintaining its open and neutral blockspace.

Almost a year later, our belief in permissionless innovation has paid off tremendously. It seems like almost every day, someone is adding new capabilities to the OP Stack or using it to launch a new chain.

Today marks the unveiling of the Law of Chains v0, a significant step towards the future of Superchains. This law establishes the groundwork for defining an MVP of the Superchain.

Challenges Addressed by the Law of Chains

While limitless blockspace was crucial for Ethereum’s growth, it also led to fragmentation as new chains emerged. Each OP Stack chain operates independently, lacking standardized protocols and facing unique challenges in security and neutrality.

To achieve the vision of the Superchain, we must transition from disparate OP Stack chains to a unified collective committed to open, decentralized blockspace. This shift aims to solve problems collectively, ensure improvements benefit all, and simplify choices for users and developers.

Guiding Principles of the Law of Chains

The Law of Chains introduces principles for Optimism Governance and the Superchain. It expands governance beyond individual chains to establish standards shared across multiple chains. This ensures that all participants uphold values that protect users and maintain open, neutral blockspace.

• Defines categories of stakeholders and their protections
• Establishes expectations for decision-making processes
• Emphasizes neutrality and enduring framework amidst evolving specifics

While the Law of Chains is optional for OP Chains, opting into the Superchain offers a value proposition by ensuring credibility and shared benefits.

Benefits of the Law of Chains

• Ensures homogeneous, neutral, and open blockspace
• Facilitates shared technological advancements
• Promotes better infrastructure availability and affordability

Community feedback is integral to refining the Law of Chains. Join the discussion here to contribute your thoughts and shape its evolution.

We extend our gratitude to contributors and supporters who have helped shape this initiative.

Following community iteration, we plan to formally introduce the Law of Chains and a governance process for new chains in the upcoming season.

Stay Optimistic! ✨🔴

https://optimism.mirror.xyz/JfVOJ1Ng2l5H6JbIAtfOcYBKa4i9DyRTUJUuOqDpjIs