zkSync Era Mainnet Launch: Unique Architecture and Ecosystem Application Analysis

Recently, the zkSync Era Alpha Mainnet was officially launched and is now open for all users. This news has attracted widespread attention in the market and has generated a lot of expectations for this Ethereum L2 scaling solution. According to the data, zkSync's trading volume for the week was approximately 2,025,135 transactions, with a 7-day average trading volume reaching a historical high. The total trading volume has now exceeded 20 million transactions, demonstrating users' enthusiasm for the network.

Matter Labs, the parent company of zkSync, has completed multiple rounds of financing over the past two years, with a total funding amount of $458 million. Notably, Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski stated that the launch of zkSync Era does not mean an immediate token issuance. Currently, the network is still primarily centralized, with Matter Labs controlling the sequencer and validators. It is expected that in about a year, when the sequencer needs to be decentralized, consideration will be given to launching the token.

Four Key Features of zkSync Era Architecture

The zkSync Era network underwent a year-long testing and multiple security audits before the launch of the Mainnet. Compared to the zkSync Lite network, the Era version introduces four important architectural updates:

1. Local abstract accounts: Allow users to pay fees with any token, potentially enabling zero-fee transactions on certain protocols.

2. LLVM-based Compiler: Built for EVM languages, it will bring significant performance improvements and development experience enhancements to the ecosystem.

3. State Difference Release: By releasing state differences instead of transaction inputs, it achieves advantages such as data compression, more frequent oracle updates, low-cost privacy, and seamless off-chain storage expansion.

4. Super Chain Technology: Allows anyone to deploy custom consensus, validator sets, or data availability zkEVM instances while inheriting the security and finality of the underlying L1.

In addition, zkSync Era has introduced a block execution delay mechanism to enhance network security. Each L2 block submitted to L1 will have a time lock before execution and final confirmation, initially set to 24 hours.

Overview of zkSync Era Ecosystem Applications

Currently, there are over 240 applications based on or planned to be deployed on the zkSync chain. These applications cover various fields including DeFi, GameFi, infrastructure, social, and public goods. Here are some of the major applications that have already been deployed on the zkSync Era network:

1. Argent: A smart contract wallet that offers low gas fees, fast transactions, as well as staking and yield farming services.

2. Mute: Decentralized exchange, supports trading, staking mining, and bonds. The current total locked value is approximately $1.39 million.

3. mintsquare: NFT trading platform, currently supports zkSync Era testnet and Alpha Mainnet.

4. Tevaera: A decentralized gamified metaverse, including multiple core products such as Teva Games, Teva Core, etc.

5. SpaceFi: A cross-chain Web3 platform that connects Cosmos and Layer2, providing trading and liquidity services on zkSync Era.

6. Rhino: A multi-chain DeFi aggregator that supports trading, staking, and cross-chain functionalities.

7. Cross-chain bridges: Multiple cross-chain bridges such as Celer, Orbiter, and multichain have supported the zkSync Era network.

Conclusion

The launch of the zkSync Era Mainnet is undoubtedly an important milestone, but the network is still in the Alpha phase, and its risks are not yet fully understood. For users, it is important to carefully control the scale of funds when interacting with the network and its ecosystem applications, and to be mindful of identifying official channels to prevent asset loss.

As the zkSync Era network continues to develop and improve, we can expect to see more innovative applications and use cases emerge. However, the true decentralization of the network and token issuance will still take time, and both investors and users should remain patient and pay attention to further announcements from the official sources and the ongoing evolution of the network.