Overview of DA Solutions and Project Analysis

In the process of blockchain expansion, data availability (DA) issues are related to the balance of security and cost. Currently, two types of solutions have emerged: on-chain and off-chain.

On-chain Solutions: Proto-Danksharding

Proto-Danksharding(EIP-4844) is a solution for Ethereum to reduce DA costs. It introduces a Blob transaction format, which allows for non-permanent storage of data uploaded to L2 on the consensus layer, providing a more economical DA option for L2. This turns Ethereum into a temporary bulletin board, where L2 needs to store data backups on its own. This solution is expected to be launched in the Ethereum Cancun upgrade by the end of the year.

Off-chain Solutions

Off-chain solutions do not rely on Ethereum as the DA layer, but seek more economical alternatives. Based on the degree of decentralization and security, they can be divided into four categories:

1. Validium: A highly centralized DA solution managed by a single operator for off-chain data. Although it is low cost and offers strong privacy, it carries high risks.

2. Data Availability Committee ( DAC ): Similar to consortium chains, multiple trusted nodes maintain copies of data to reduce the risk of single point of failure. However, small-scale DACs still have security vulnerabilities.

3. Volition: Hybrid mode, allowing users to choose whether to publish single transaction data on-chain or off-chain, balancing flexibility and partial Ethereum security.

4. General DA Solutions: Not limited to the Ethereum ecosystem, can serve multiple chains and projects. By utilizing self-owned verification nodes, block producers, and consensus mechanisms, security is enhanced to approach public chain levels.

Introduction to DA Layer Projects

StarkEx

The scalability framework developed by StarkWare provides three DA modes: on-chain, Validium, and Volition. Its Validium solution enhances security by combining DAC. Projects like dYdX v3 and Immutable use StarkEx's DA services.

zkPorter

The off-chain DA solution proposed by the zkSync team is an independent data publishing chain that uses PoS consensus. It is envisioned to seamlessly interact with zkSync Era, significantly reducing transaction costs. However, the project is progressing slowly, and there is currently no specific launch information.

EigenDA

The DA middleware developed based on EigenLayer gains security assurance through ETH re-staking. As the first active validation service (AVS), it attracts multiple L2 projects planning to integrate, such as Mantle, Layer N, and others.

Celestia

A general-purpose DA public chain with independent validation nodes and PoS consensus. Although the cost is higher than other off-chain solutions, the security is significantly enhanced. Its L2 solution, Celestium, publishes transaction data to Celestia, while proof data is still uploaded to Ethereum.

Celestia has completed two rounds of financing, totaling $56.5 million. The recently announced TIA token airdrop plan covers developers and active users, attracting industry attention.

Avail

Originally part of the Polygon project, now an independently operated DA public chain. The technology is more complex than Celestia, and the mainnet is expected to launch in Q1 2024. Currently in the second phase of the testnet, it offers various participation methods, including staking, application development, and network role selection.

Industry Outlook

The future roadmap of Ethereum shows that EIP-4844 will further reduce the cost of publishing data on L2. This indicates that Ethereum tends to retain the functions of DA, settlement, and consensus layers, only separating the execution layer.

Off-chain DA projects are facing direct competition with Ethereum. Beyond cost advantages, how to enhance competitiveness has become a key issue. Projects like Celestia are capturing the market through token incentives, and there may be opportunities for large projects in the future DA layer.