The ABC Stack
Last updated
Last updated
ABC Stack is a high-performance Rollup L1 framework using Celestia’s Sovereign Rollup that achieves throughput of .
The ABC Stack framework fully embraces the paradigm. Rollup L1s completely decouple bridge functionality from the execution layer and leverage Celestia for consensus and data availability.
This approach eliminates the overhead and architectural constraints of Layer 2 solutions. Unlike L2s that must maintain an enshrined bridge to a settlement layer on Ethereum, ABC Stack functions as a settlement layer in its own right, and achieves its exceptional throughput by focusing solely on efficient execution, with the freedom to implement modular bridging solutions based on specific application needs.
The "L" in L1 or L2 refers to the settlement style of a rollup:
L2 Rollups enshrine a bridge to a remote chain's settlement smart contract (typically Ethereum). This means the rollup's canonical chain and transaction validity are determined by the settlement layer through this bridge. L2 rollups are "settled rollups" because a smart contract on another chain serves as the root of trust.
Rollup L1s (like ABC Stack) handle settlement directly on the rollup's node network itself, similar to a non-rollup L1 blockchain. The rollup nodes collectively determine the canonical chain and transaction validity without deferring to an external settlement layer. These are "sovereign rollups" because they maintain full control over their settlement process.
“Where we're going, you won't need Settlement Layers”
Although L2s are designed to rely on a trust-minimized bridge with Ethereum, over time, the market has sought out options that provide superior scalability, lower cost, and a way of bootstrapping liquidity on new blockchain ecosystems custom-built for each application.
The reality is that despite the immense overhead of maintaining an enshrined bridge, these bridges offer no safeguards for assets natively issued on the L2 or that do not settle on Ethereum. In fact, a growing proportion of assets on major L2s are either:
Bridged through third-party bridges like Hyperlane, LayerZero or Wormhole
Natively issued on the L2 itself
This reality reflects the market preference for high-performance blockchains optimized for user experience and the unique needs of each application. ABC Stack acknowledges this preference by removing the architectural constraint of an enshrined bridge, which allows for pure optimization of the execution layer.
It's worth noting that traditional L2s serve an important purpose when users specifically need the trust-minimized bridge they enshrine and want to leverage Ethereum's security model for settlement layer assets. However, market trends indicate this represents only a fraction of users, with many applications and their communities not requiring or prioritizing this specific architecture.
ABC Stack is the logical conclusion of the modular thesis—complete separation of concerns between different blockchain functions.
By focusing exclusively on high-performance execution, leveraging Celestia for data availability, and enabling cross-chain interop through truly modular bridging, developers can build highly secure applications that can truly scale to web2-like performance requirements, including fully on-chain games, high-throughput DeFi, and other compute-intensive applications that were previously impractical on blockchain infrastructure.