Conduit, a blockchain infrastructure firm, has introduced a new platform that allows users to create and implement a layer-3 rollup on Ethereum or other networks at an affordable cost of $50 per month and in just 15 minutes. In a blog post on February 21, Conduit explained that layer-3s, which offer “ultra high-throughput,” will further reduce transaction costs. While L2 networks like Base and OP Mainnet are already cost-effective and fast, certain applications require even cheaper computation and dedicated blockspace. L3s enable these apps to scale according to their demand without competing for blockspace. This new feature follows Conduit’s release of a similar solution for layer-2 rollups just a week prior on February 15.
Conduit’s deployment app offers two options for rollup frameworks: Optimism’s OP Stack or Arbitrum Orbit. Users can choose Ethereum, Base, Zora, or Mode as the settlement layer for verifying rollup transactions, and they can also choose to have rollup transaction data posted on either Ethereum or Celestia.
David Hoffman, a host on the crypto podcast Bankless, described the addition of L3s as a “big day for the +1M rollups believers,” while Nick Martitsch, Paradigm’s head of market development, noted that there has never been a simpler way to launch a rollup. Georgios Konstantopoulos, a research partner at Paradigm, praised Conduit’s development, saying that people may not fully appreciate the underlying technology.
However, some observers expressed concerns about the ease of launching rollups. Psuedononmous DefiLlama developer 0xngmi commented that “every shitcoin is gonna make its own rollup now, innit?” Another commentator, “h wonder,” raised concerns about potential issues if users fail to pay the monthly bill or request cancellation.
For the $50 monthly plan, users can deploy a rollup on Ethereum’s Sepolia testnet, while the $3,000 monthly plan allows deployment on the mainnet. The mainnet plan incurs a gas fee for deployment, currently valued at 2.79 Ether (ETH) or $8,150. The deployment process takes approximately 15 minutes.
Conduit will receive 7.5% of revenue from layer-3 rollups. The company claims that these solutions will significantly reduce Ethereum and layer-2 transaction fees, making block space more accessible.
Cointelegraph contacted Conduit for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
In a previous post in September 2022, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested that layer 3s could offer customized functionality to meet users’ on-chain needs. However, he cautioned against simply layering the same scaling scheme on top of itself, stating that a three-layer architecture with distinct purposes for the second and third layers would be more effective.
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