The perfect modular blockchains are Arbitrum, Manta Community, Celestia, Optimism, and Berachain. The perfect modular blockchain initiatives are designed to separate core blockchain capabilities like execution, consensus, and information availability. This design helps enhance velocity, cut back prices, and enhance flexibility for builders and customers.
To decide on the perfect modular blockchain, it’s important to contemplate elements reminiscent of undertaking crew, use instances, scalability, group engagement, interoperability, and tokenomics.
This information will evaluate the 5 greatest modular blockchains and clarify the evolution of blockchain from monolithic to modular. We can even talk about the advantages of modular blockchains immediately and why they matter for the long run.
1. Arbitrum
Arbitrum is a Layer 2 scaling resolution for Ethereum that employs optimistic rollups to boost the variety of transactions per second and decrease prices. It settles transactions off-chain after which publishes the outcomes to the Ethereum mainnet, thus offering scalability however nonetheless preserving safety. It separates all the main functionalities, reminiscent of execution, consensus, and information availability, to extend effectivity, and that’s what modular blockchains do.
Arbitrum additionally has its personal digital machine, which is named the Arbitrum Digital Machine (AVM), and it’s appropriate with the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM) as effectively, to allow builders to deploy current Ethereum sensible contracts with little modification on Arbitrum. The community makes use of a multi-round proof-of-fraud system, so {that a} malicious transaction can simply be challenged by the validators. If the malicious transaction is efficiently challenged, it is going to be rejected, and community integrity will probably be maintained.
Arbitrum’s design allows it to course of as many as 40,000 transactions per second, greater than twice the aptitude of Ethereum. Its excessive charge and decrease charges make it a fascinating platform on which to deploy decentralized functions (dApps). Additionally, Arbitrum’s Stylus improve will increase flexibility with help for coding your sensible contracts primarily in Rust and C++ along with Solidity.
Key Options of Arbitrum
Optimistic Rollups: You possibly can simply course of transactions off-chain, which, after all, reduces prices whereas counting on Ethereum for safety.Stylus Improve: It helps writing sensible contracts in Rust, C++, together with Solidity for some further flexibility.EVM Compatibility: You possibly can deploy Ethereum dApps with minimal adjustments to make sure seamless integration.Excessive Throughput: Arbitrum is sort of quick in comparison with Ethereum, because it achieves as much as 40,000 TPS, supreme for scalable functions.Decentralized Governance: It’s also possible to take part within the Arbitrum DAO to form the community’s future. All you’ll want to do is stake some ARB tokens.
Execs of Arbitrum
Processes as much as 40,000 transactions per secondIt has considerably decrease transaction charges than EthereumHelps current Ethereum sensible contractsExtremely safe modular blockchain with a fraud-proof systemIt’s developer-friendly as solely minimal adjustments are required to deploy dApps
Cons of Arbitrum
Withdrawal delays with a seven-day problem interval are fairly irritatingIt has restricted interoperability and faces points in connecting with different L2s
2. Manta Community
Manta Community is a zero-knowledge (ZK) applications-focused modular blockchain ecosystem. Manta Pacific and Manta Atlantic are the 2 main parts of it.
Manta Pacific is a Layer 2 (L2) resolution on Ethereum, designed to be optimized for EVM-native ZK functions. It primarily relies on the usage of Celestia for information availability and can finally transfer to a zkEVM on high of Celestia through the Polygon Chain Growth Package (CDK). This setup is greatest for providing scalability and reasonably priced transactions for ZK functions, usually constructed on Solidity. Manta Atlantic is a Layer 1 (L1) blockchain on the Polkadot community, and it’s primarily geared toward programmable identities and credentials through zkSoulbound Tokens (zkSBTs). It offers a safe place for functions with a necessity for top privateness and compliance.
Manta Community was established in 2020, and immediately, it offers help for greater than 200 decentralized functions (dApps). And, with the addition of Celestia’s modular information availability and Common Circuits, you’ve gotten the flexibility to develop ZK-enabled functions with little modification to the code. This makes it greatest for DeFi, gaming, and identification verification.
Key Options of Manta Community
Modular Structure: You possibly can scale functions effectively utilizing Celestia for information availability and zkEVM for execution.Zero-Information Proofs: Manta Community ensures personal transactions and identification verification with ZK know-how.Low Fuel Charges: You’ll profit from as much as 90% decreased transaction prices in comparison with different conventional Layer 2 options.Common Circuits: It can offer you a ZK library and allow builders to combine ZK-enabled contracts into current Solidity sensible contracts.Interoperability: You possibly can simply switch your digital property between Manta Pacific and Manta Atlantic through cross-chain bridges.
Execs of Manta Community
Extremely scalable with low-cost transactions for environment friendly dApp deploymentRobust privateness options utilizing zero-knowledge proofs for safe interactionsVersatile modular design helps seamless upgrades and upkeepAn interoperable ecosystem for builders.Developer-friendly instruments simplify ZK utility improvement
Cons of Manta Community
A dual-chain setup could also be considerably difficult for brand spanking new buildersTransition to full zkEVM continues to be in progress
3. Celestia
Celestia is one other greatest modular blockchain that separates consensus and information availability from execution. This helps builders to create customizable blockchains with out having to deal with the underlying infrastructure.
A serious innovation in Celestia is Knowledge Availability Sampling (DAS). DAS usually helps gentle nodes to verify the existence of enormous blockchain information units with out the necessity to obtain the whole set of knowledge. This minimizes the {hardware} necessities and the prices of transactions.
Additionally, the modular mechanism means that you can ship sovereign rollups or application-specific chains that scale with out compromising safety or decentralization. DAS primarily kinds the muse of this architectural construction utilized by Celestia, whereby it permits gentle nodes to confirm large blocks by sampling small information units and thereby attaining scalability with rising block sizes.
You possibly can simply deploy a blockchain as straightforwardly as a wise contract through the use of the high-throughput information availability of Celestia. Additionally, rollups, such because the one created with Ethereum or the Cosmos SDK, will probably be supported by the community, and it’ll make the most of proof-of-stake consensus by CometBFT.
Key Options of Celestia
Knowledge Availability Sampling (DAS): You possibly can simply confirm giant blocks with minimal information, and therefore enhance scalability.Modular Structure: Celestia separates consensus and information availability from execution to supply flexibility.Sovereign Rollups: You possibly can deploy your personal customizable blockchains with full management over guidelines.Proof-of-Stake Consensus: Celestia makes use of CometBFT for safe and decentralized transaction orderingNamespaced Merkle Timber (NMTs): You possibly can simply entry particular information effectively, enhancing safety.
Execs of Celestia
Permits scalable and environment friendly decentralized functionsReduces {hardware} necessities for community participationSimplifies the deployment of personalized blockchainsEnhances cross-chain communication and interoperabilityIt can present uniform safety throughout all deployed chains
Cons of Celestia
Comparatively new know-how with a considerably evolving ecosystemIt relies on exterior rollups for execution performance
4. Optimism
Optimism is one other modular Layer 2 blockchain designed to scale Ethereum. It makes use of optimistic rollups to execute transactions off-chain and publishes the info to Ethereum to be verified. This reduces gasoline prices and hurries up transactions with out compromising the safety of Ethereum. As a result of it’s a modular blockchain, execution and consensus in Optimism are separated. Execution primarily takes place on Optimism, and the ultimate outcomes are then handed to Ethereum.
Optimism completely enhances the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM). This equips you with the flexibility to deploy the present Ethereum sensible contracts on Optimism with out a lot or many modifications. The community usually depends on the usage of Geth, which is Ethereum’s software program consumer, to offer compatibility and ease.
The Bedrock improve hurries up the efficiency of Optimism. Transaction prices decreased by as a lot as 47%, and deposits took solely 3 minutes in comparison with the earlier 10 minutes. Bedrock additionally improved compatibility with Ethereum by help for options reminiscent of EIP-1559 and chain reorganizations. Its authorities is run by the Optimism Collective, and the OP token serves because the medium of governance choices, together with protocol upgrades and the funding of public items.
Key Options of Optimism
Optimistic Rollups: Processes transactions off-chain after which posts information to Ethereum for validation. Therefore, that is greatest for lowering prices and rising velocity.EVM Compatibility: Absolutely helps Ethereum sensible contracts and permits simple deployment with out modifications.Bedrock Improve: Enhances efficiency by reducing charges, lowering deposit occasions, and enhancing Ethereum compatibility.Superchain Imaginative and prescient: Goals to create an interoperable community of blockchains for seamless cross-chain interactions.Public Items Funding: It helps initiatives that profit the Ethereum ecosystem by the usage of retroactive funding.
Execs of Optimism
Reduces Ethereum gasoline charges considerablyMaintains Ethereum’s safety whereas rising scalabilityAbsolutely appropriate with current Ethereum instruments and contractsDecentralized governance promotes group involvementHelps funding for public items and ecosystem development
Cons of Optimism
Have a 7-day withdrawal time for transactions transferring from OP Mainnet to the EthereumSuperchain imaginative and prescient continues to be underneath improvement and unproven
5. Berachain
Berachain is a Layer 1 modular and high-performance blockchain with native help for the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM). You’re in a position to deploy Ethereum functions natively and seamlessly resulting from its similar execution layer. It’s developed on high of the Cosmos SDK, and the modular construction of Berachain separates execution, settlement, consensus, and information availability.
What distinguishes Berachain from the standard Proof-of-Stake is the Proof-of-Liquidity (PoL) mechanism. With the Proof-of-Stake, whereas your tokens get locked, they don’t reward you for being a liquidity supplier. With the Proof-of-Liquidity mechanism, although, you can be rewarded.
It operates on a system named BeaconKit. This simplifies the method of growing functions and likewise accommodates Ethereum-based functions. You don’t want to change the code to deploy your Ethereum functions to Berachain. This reduces the effort and time.
Berachain’s triple-token economic system of BERA (gasoline), BGT (governance), and HONEY (stablecoin) creates a comparatively balanced economic system. You may have the choice to make use of HONEY for secure transactions, use BERA as payment forex, and the BGT for voting on community proposals. Launched in 2025, the DeFi, NFT, and Layer 2 options supported by Berachain make it a developer-friendly possibility.
Key Options of Berachain
EVM Compatibility: It helps seamless deployment of Ethereum-based functions with out code modifications.Multi-Token System: Berachain makes use of $BERA for transactions and $BGT for governance to separate utility and decision-making capabilities.Modular Blockchain Structure: Constructed on BeaconKit, permitting for customizable and scalable blockchain improvement.Native DeFi Functions: Hosts dApps like BEX and Honey Swap, demonstrating the sensible use of its consensus mannequin.Cross-Chain Interoperability: You possibly can simply switch property throughout blockchains utilizing the native bridge.
Execs of Berachain
Enhances liquidity with PoL and reduces DeFi fragmentationPresents full EVM compatibility for simple improvementIt ensures quick transactions with single-slot finalityHelps cross-chain transfers for broader connectivityIt offers a modular design for tailor-made blockchain options
Cons of Berachain
It’s a brand new blockchain with untested long-term stabilityRestricted adoption in comparison with different greatest modular blockchains
What Is the Evolution of Blockchain from Monolithic to Modular?
Blockchain has transitioned from monolithic to modular design. This transition has enabled blockchains to be extra environment friendly, versatile, and scalable with out sacrificing safety.
To start with, blockchains reminiscent of Bitcoin and Ethereum had been monolithic. A monolithic blockchain consists of 1 single system during which all key functionalities, reminiscent of consensus (transaction validation), execution (transaction processing), and information storage, are managed through a single layer.
As an illustration, the Bitcoin blockchain offers in safe peer-to-peer transactions, and all of the nodes undertake all actions, from validation of transactions to storage of the whole ledger. Additionally, Ethereum, began in 2015, introduced in sensible contracts however continued to make use of the monolithic strategy, with all of the nodes doing all of the calculations. Though the design offers safety and decentralized management, it lacks scalability. With development within the variety of transactions, monolithic blockchains skilled slower transaction execution and better charges.
To counter these points, modular blockchains had been created. With a modular stack, every layer performs completely different work. This construction partitions the first duties:
The execution layer executes sensible contracts and processes transactions.The consensus layer offers settlement between all of the nodes in regards to the right information.The info availability layer networks maintain and distribute transaction information.The settlement layer completes and settles transactions.
Ethereum’s roadmap subsequently tracks this transition. Following its 2022 Merge, Ethereum embraced a modular design with rollups, like layer 2 options reminiscent of Optimism and Arbitrum, that execute transactions off-chain however use Ethereum’s principal chain to attain consensus and retailer information.
Why Is Blockchain Shifting from Monolithic to Modular?
Blockchain is transferring from monolithic to modular design to enhance scalability, flexibility, and effectivity. All of the duties, reminiscent of execution, consensus, and information availability in a monolithic blockchain, happen in a single layer. Every node performs all of the work.
This configuration caps the velocity and will increase the expense as extra customers are available in. Modular blockchains mitigate the difficulty by separating these duties. Numerous layers or programs undertake completely different work as mentioned above.
Ethereum is now adopting this modular design by rollups and sharding, and there are different blockchains like Celestia, which are constructed totally modular from the beginning. For more information, you too can try our in-depth information on what modular blockchain is.
The best way to Select the Greatest Modular Blockchain Tasks?
To decide on the perfect modular blockchain initiatives, you’ll want to contemplate elements reminiscent of undertaking crew, use instances, scalability, group engagement, interoperability, and tokenomics.
Staff Expertise and Observe Document: A crew engaged on a modular blockchain undertaking issues most to its success. Evaluate their earlier work or contribution on GitHub or LinkedIn to confirm their credibility. If the crew has a great historical past of scaling options, such because the crew behind Arbitrum or Celestia, they encourage confidence.Use Case and Drawback-Fixing Potential: A very good modular blockchain undertaking ought to sort out a real-world problem or increase present blockchain capabilities. Technical Robustness and Scalability: The technical design of the undertaking needs to be strong and in a position to help excessive volumes of transactions. It’s also possible to attempt to evaluate the codebase for safety audits, modular design readability, and compatibility with current ecosystems like Ethereum. Unaudited or weak codebases improve the opportunity of vulnerabilities or an absence of efficiency.Neighborhood Engagement and Help: An energetic and vibrant group suggests a undertaking’s adoption and longevity chance. See if there’s energetic dialogue, developer engagement, and person suggestions on platforms reminiscent of Discord, Reddit, or X. Tasks reminiscent of Arbitrum change into profitable based mostly on energetic community-driven improvement and DeFi functions.Interoperability and Ecosystem Integration: They need to additionally combine simply into any variety of networks to attain most utility. Evaluate if the undertaking allows cross-chain interplay or interoperates with dominant networks reminiscent of Ethereum or the Cosmos. Tokenomics and Financial Mannequin: Analyze the token’s goal, distribution, and whether or not it serves the targets of the undertaking, i.e., staking for consensus or paying for transactions.
Why You Shouldn’t Overlook the Rise of Modular Blockchain Tasks?
You shouldn’t overlook the rise of modular blockchain initiatives as a result of they remedy key issues present in older blockchains. The advantages of modular blockchains are higher scalability, decrease prices, extra flexibility, simpler upgrades, stronger safety, and better decentralization.
Improved blockchain scalability: Modular blockchains usually course of extra transactions by splitting work between layers, and this may velocity up the community and reduce congestion.Decrease prices: Since work is split between layers, each layer can work extra effectively, leading to decrease prices for transactions.Extra flexibility: You possibly can simply create devoted layers to your explicit functions, and you may even choose probably the most appropriate instruments for execution, information placement, and settlement.Simpler upgrades: You possibly can replace every layer individually, and this makes the system simpler to take care of and replace with out main adjustments.Improved safety: Modular programs incessantly make use of tried-and-tested blockchains reminiscent of Ethereum for settlement or settlement, and therefore, this lends a strong safety layer to new initiatives.Decentralization: As mentioned above, a number of networks or layers deal with the work in modular blockchain programs. That is vital for decentralization because it avoids the management of 1 group and permits open participation.
Is Solana Monolithic or Modular?
Solana is a monolithic blockchain. Solana handles all its core capabilities like execution, consensus, and information availability on a single layer solely. Therefore, each validator node in Solana runs all components of the community. This leads to all of the nodes processing the transactions, attaining consensus, and retaining information concurrently. Solana doesn’t layer these duties as modular blockchain networks do.
Nevertheless, since all capabilities on Solana are dealt with by the identical community, it requires some very highly effective {hardware}. Previously, we’ve seen that it additionally faces points like community outages and centralization considerations resulting from its excessive system calls for.
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