On September 12, 2023, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that a network will not be considered 'Layer-2' if it hasn't reached 'Stage 1' by the end of the year.
Stages of Decentralization
The term 'Stage 1 Layer-2' was introduced by Buterin in a post on November 2, 2022, on the Fellowship of Ethereum Magicians message board. In this post, Buterin argued that Ethereum Layer-2 networks were in an early stage of development and could not be expected to be fully decentralized right away. Initially, these networks would be heavily centralized, but over time, they would become completely permissionless, ensuring censorship-free transactions.
Networks That Have Reached Stage 1
Research from blockchain analytics platform L2Beat shows that the following networks have already reached Stage 1: Arbitrum One, Optimism, dYdX v3, ZKsync Lite, DeGate v1, and Fuel v1. These networks have implemented schemes of fraud proofs or validity proofs to handle transactions, making them more secure and reliable.
Networks That Haven't Reached Stage 1
Several networks have not yet reached Stage 1 but could potentially do so by the end of the year. These include Base, Blast, ZKsync Era, and Starknet. These networks currently adhere to some of the Stage 1 criteria and may adjust their systems to meet the requirements by the year's end.
The Ethereum community will continue to pressure development teams to make their networks more decentralized. Vitalik Buterin stated that networks that have not reached Stage 1 will no longer be considered 'Layer-2' after January 1, 2024.
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