☕Espresso
Espresso is a software company that creates infrastructure tools for safer and more open blockchains. Currently they are working on a sequencer for L2s. Current sequencers are very centralized, Arbitrum and Optimism just have one trusted entity running this critical piece of infrastructure. Read more to explore how Espresso is going to remedy this and how Eigen Re-stakers can help!
This is the first entry in our series on decentralized sequencers. Most decentralized sequencers will need us, operators and restakers, to become decentralized. EigenHub is here to help you make informed decisions about which sequencer you might provide your service to. Espresso, Aztec Fernet, and Astria. We leaned heavily on the Nethermind Four Pillars article linked at the bottom of this page which is a great deep dive for those interested.
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-Sequencers are a necessary piece of architecture needed for L2 operation.
-Most sequencers are centralized, bad for security and decentralization. Eigen can help with this.
-Sequencers should have high throughput and low latency, but also be decentralized, have low trust assumptions, and be secure. The first two are hard to implement without compromising the others.
-With Espresso’s Sequencer and Eigen joining forces now roll-up sequencers can have it all, high throughput and low latency with Ethereum grade decentralization and security through Proposer Builder Separation.
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Published on AVS release2024
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RAM: 16-32 GB.
CPU: 2-4 Cores.
Storage (DA node): 20 GB minimum, ability to scale to 1 TB on demand.
Storage (non-DA Node): Negligible, kilobytes
*This is the minimum recommendation and could change in the future. All operators would probably want to have a little bit of free RAM, storage, and cores before committing to provide. So 35RAM and 5 or 6 cores.
What is the Espresso’s Sequencer? It’s shared sequencer for roll-ups! Sequencers function to sequence transactions. Espresso orders transactions and then transmit them for execution. That information is then made available for eventual state updates to the roll up and Eth Layer. Let’s learn more about sequencers and how Eigeneers can help.
Eigen’s role 🤝
So why would this product need Eigen’s decentralized risk market? Let’s try and highlight how Espresso will interact with Eigen.
A Sequencer can live at two extremes. Either centralized in a server or decentralized across many nodes. Currently, almost all sequencers are centralized on a server for higher throughput and lower latency, they simply outperform the decentralized sequencers at present. However, a roll-up is only as decentralized as its least decentralized component! So even if other parts of your roll-up are maximally decentralized, the centralized sequencer can prevent it from being truly decentralized with all the risk that entails.
Server is a dirty word here in Ethereum land for a reason. A centralized sequencer negates many of the benefits of a decentralized app on eth in the first place. Builders know this, but there is not much they can do about it for now as they have to remain competitive with high throughput and low latency. This is where Espresso and Eigen can join forces. Espresso can replace a centralized sequencer with a decentralized consensus protocol with Eigen validators providing the necessary security for and guaranteed decentralization to get the best of both worlds, higher throughput, and faster confirmation of transactions than even native Ethereum. The unlock lies in separating the data availability (called Tiramisu) layers and the consensus layer (Hotshot in Espresso’s case) away from the execution layer. A sequencer only needs to order and make available the data NOT execute said data. This significantly eases consensus since execution is taken out and the nodes can finish execution after consensus has been reached. By borrowing from Eigen’s decentralized validator sets incentivizing re-stakers with yield , the Espresso protocol can decentralize and share in the security of Ethereum’s L1 execution through Eigen’s risk market. This will be a game changer for Layer 2s. The shared sequencer guarantees that a transaction is finalized on any rollup only if it is finalized on the other roll-up across the “bridge” using a fully decentralized but trustable sequencer. Let’s follow a roll up transaction using Espresso below to map this all out. Note where Eigen players will come in.
Espresso shared sequencer has two working parts a data availability (DA) called Tiramisu and a consensus layer called Hotshot. A user sends a transaction to a rollup (potentially any roll-up) and the roll up sends the transaction to Espresso’s DA layer (Tiramisu), with an identifier to let Espresso know which L2 this transaction is coming from.
Tiramisu makes the data available and orders it, while Hotshot nodes vote and make a finalized block commitment to the L1. Then Tiramisu sends the Hotshot block commitment back to the L1 with proof the block is finalized. The L2 then posts its final proofs back to the Eth L1 to be included in the final block. Execution is fully handled by Eigen validators, so Hotshot only has to meet consensus. Making the entire process much faster and more cost efficient!
Sequencers are essential middle-ware that Eigen Layer was born to address. Taking a centralized component and through the magic of Eigen’s risk market and further decentralizing the incentive structure with no loss of benefits. So Espresso has a vital part of Ethereum’s roll-up centric road map and you can be part of it. We intend to run node operations for Espresso if accepted by the team, so we hope you will choose us here at Eigen Hub to be your node operator!
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