Overview of Data Availability Solutions

In the blockchain field, the data availability (DA) issue faced by Layer2(L2) mainly involves the trade-off between security and cost. In response to this challenge, two main solutions have emerged: on-chain and off-chain.

On-chain Solutions: Proto-Danksharding

Proto-Danksharding(EIP-4844) is a solution for Ethereum to reduce data availability costs. It introduces a new transaction format - Blob, which allows L2 to temporarily store transaction data on the Ethereum consensus layer at a lower cost. This means Ethereum will become a real-time bulletin board where data will be deleted after a certain period, and L2 needs to store all data backups on its own. Proto-Danksharding is expected to go live in the Ethereum upgrade at the end of this year.

Off-chain Solutions

Off-chain solutions no longer use Ethereum as the DA layer, but seek more economical ways of data availability. Depending on the differences in decentralization and security, they can be divided into the following categories:

Validium

Validium is a highly centralized DA solution, with transaction data managed by centralized operators. While it reduces DA costs and protects transaction privacy, it carries a higher risk of single points of failure.

Data Availability Committee ( DAC )

DAC is similar to a consortium chain, consisting of multiple trusted nodes, used to reduce the single point of failure risk of Validium. However, small-scale DACs may still face the risk of private key theft or collective malicious behavior.

Volition

Volition is a hybrid model that allows users to choose whether to publish transaction data on-chain or off-chain. This approach can inherit the security of Ethereum to some extent.

General DA Solution

In addition to Ethereum-specific solutions, there are also some general DA solutions that can serve multiple blockchains and projects. These types of solutions typically have independent validation nodes, block producers, and consensus mechanisms, but do not support smart contracts.

Main DA Layer Projects

StarkEx

StarkEx is a scalability framework developed by the StarkWare team, offering three data availability modes: on-chain, Validium, and Volition. Several well-known projects, such as dYdX v3 and Immutable, use StarkEx's DA solutions.

zkPorter

zkPorter is an off-chain DA solution proposed by the zkSync team, maintaining security through the PoS consensus mechanism. It allows zkSync token holders to stake their tokens to become validators, but the current development progress of this project is not clear.

EigenDA

EigenDA is a DA layer project developed based on EigenLayer, obtaining security through the re-staking model of Ethereum validators. As middleware, EigenDA does not have its own consensus mechanism, but several L2 projects have planned to integrate this solution.

Celestia

Celestia is a general-purpose DA public chain with independent validation nodes and a PoS consensus mechanism. Although the costs are higher, its security is significantly better than other off-chain solutions. Celestia has completed multiple rounds of financing and announced a token airdrop plan.

Avail

Avail was originally a project under Polygon, but it is now operating independently. As an independent DA public chain, Avail is technically more complex than Celestia. Currently, Avail has entered the second phase of its testnet, providing users with various participation options.

Future Outlook

As Ethereum continues to advance its scalability roadmap, off-chain DA solutions may face direct competition with Ethereum. In the future, these projects need to find new ways to enhance their competitiveness, in addition to emphasizing their low-cost advantages. For users, competition at the DA layer may bring new opportunities that are worth ongoing attention.