- Optimism has finally added ‘fault proofs,’ enhancing the platform’s security.
- Fault proofs ensure the blockchain’s security and reliability by detecting fraudulent transactions
- The technology went live on Monday, two and a half years after Optimism’s launch
Leading Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution Optimism has added ‘fault proofs’, a mission-critical upgrade central to the security of the platform. Fault proofs play a crucial role in ensuring the security and reliability of the Optimism blockchain, detecting fraud and ensuring that bad actors cannot plant data on the blockchain. Two and a half years after launching, fault proofs finally went live on Monday.
Fault Proofs Will Keep Optimism Transactions Honest
Fault proofs are essential for ensuring the security and reliability of Optimism, whose optimism rollups assume transactions are valid by default, checking for correctness only if a fault is detected. After processing, there’s a challenge period where anyone can dispute a transaction by submitting a fault proof.
This proof must show evidence of the transaction’s invalidity. If valid, the incorrect transaction is rolled back, and the challenger is rewarded, incentivizing network monitoring.
The time has come!
FAULT PROOFS & STAGE 1 HAVE ARRIVED!
Open-source, permissionless fault proofs are live on the OP Mainnet, and with them, the @Optimism OP Stack arrives at Stage 1 decentralization.
Rolling out to the Superchain next. LFG! pic.twitter.com/WtlDXn5dVB
— Ryan Wyatt (@Fwiz) June 10, 2024
Fault proofs detect fraud by verifying state transitions. During arbitration on the Ethereum blockchain, the fault proof is checked, ensuring the rollup’s security is backed by Ethereum’s robustness.
If no valid fault proof is submitted during the challenge period, transactions are considered final and settled on Ethereum, giving users confidence. The security model relies on at least one honest participant submitting a fault proof if needed, leveraging economic incentives and decentralization.
The introduction of fault proofs will mean that the security and correctness of transactions processed through optimistic rollups are finally assured, incentivizing network monitoring and leveraging economic rewards for maintaining transaction integrity.
