Polygon 2.0 Architecture & What’s Next

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Polygon 2.0

In a move aimed to revolutionize the blockchain world, Polygon Labs' engineering teams have unveiled their proposed architecture for Polygon 2.0, aiming to solve the scalability challenge and establish Polygon as the coveted Value Layer of the Internet. And they’re just getting started!

Web3 has long struggled with scaling issues, leading to fragmented liquidity and a less-than-stellar user experience. But fear not, because Polygon 2.0 is here to save the day. Just like the Internet provides an elastically scalable and unified environment for accessing information, Polygon 2.0 aims to do the same for accessing value. Move over, Internet, the Value Layer is coming through!

Polygon's journey to date has been an adventurous one, filled with experimentation and diverging paths. Instead of placing all their bets on a single approach, the Polygon team explored various ideas and technologies, including sidechains, rollups, validiums, zkEVM type 1-3, and more. It was like a mad scientist's laboratory, except instead of creating monsters, they were concocting blockchain solutions. This creative problem-solving approach was a no-brainer in the ever-evolving blockchain industry.

But experimentation alone wasn't enough. The convergence phase followed, where the Polygon protocol teams and contributors consolidated their efforts and aligned on a specific protocol architecture. And now, drumroll, please, we present to you the magnificent Polygon 2.0 architecture!

Picture Polygon 2.0 architecture as a layer cake, with each protocol layer playing a crucial role in the grand scheme of things. It's like the Internet protocol suite with its Link, Network, Transport, and Application Layers, but way cooler. Okay, maybe I’m nerding out here, but let's dive into each layer, shall we?

Polygon Architecture Layers

First up is the Staking Layer, the icing on the cake. It's based on the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) concept, leveraging Polygon's native token to enhance decentralization across the participating Polygon chains. With smart contracts like the Validator Manager and the Chain Manager, this layer manages the validator pool, handles staking and slashing events, and ensures decentralization galore.

Next, we have the Interop Layer, the delicious filling between the cake layers. This layer makes cross-chain messaging a breeze within the Polygon ecosystem. No more synthetic versions of Ethereum tokens! The Interop Layer offers shared access to native Ethereum assets and supports near-instant and atomic cross-chain transactions. It's like a magical teleportation device for your assets.

The Execution Layer is where the cake gets baked. It enables any Polygon chain to produce batches of transactions, just like other blockchain networks. It includes components like P2P for node discovery, Consensus for agreement among validators, and Mempool for collecting and syncing transactions. It's the engine that keeps the cake running smoothly.

And finally, we have the Proving Layer, the secret ingredient that makes this cake a masterpiece. This layer incorporates a highly-performant Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proving protocol, generating proofs for all transactions, both internal and external. It features a common prover that supports various transaction types and simplifies proof aggregation and verification. It's like the cherry on top, adding that extra touch of elegance.

But wait, there's more! In the coming days and weeks, Polygon Labs will be sharing deep dives into each protocol layer. They'll peel back the layers of the cake (metaphorically, of course) and delve into the nitty-gritty details. It's like being invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of a top-secret recipe.

Polygon 2.0 Roadmap

Polygon will also be revealing two more additions to the Polygon 2.0 roadmap as shown in the original visual provided by Polygon Labs. According to the visual, we are now just half way through a four part proposal series in which we discussed in depth in our previous article.

Final Thoughts

So, get ready for the next evolution of Polygon, where scalability meets cleverness, and where blockchain and the Internet dance hand in hand. Polygon 2.0 is coming, and it's here to make waves in the world of Web3. Let's make it happen, folks! Stay tuned for more Polygon updates!