A new Layer 2 solution integrating Solana's high performance with Ethereum's security.

Introduction

In this episode, we invited Neel, the founder of Eclipse, to share with us the development history and technical features of this innovative Ethereum Layer 2 project. Eclipse is an Ethereum Layer 2 with an execution environment of SVM, dedicated to becoming a general Layer 2 solution for large-scale use on Ethereum.

The Uniqueness of Eclipse

After working in traditional finance, Neel gradually became interested in Roll-Ups through his development experience in the Cosmos ecosystem. He believes that Roll-Ups have lower operating costs compared to Layer 1 and less token inflation, which is why he founded Eclipse in September 2022.

Eclipse, as an Ethereum Layer 2, is unique in that it uses SVM (Solana Virtual Machine) as its execution environment. This allows Eclipse to possess both the high performance of Solana and the security of Ethereum. From a user experience perspective, Eclipse is very similar to Solana, featuring short block generation times, low latency, and high throughput.

On a technical level, Eclipse uses the Fraud proof mechanism of Optimistic Rollup, but unlike Optimism and Arbitrum, it employs RISC Zero for ZK fraud proof. In terms of data availability (DA), considering the high transaction fees on Ethereum, Eclipse has chosen Celestia as the DA layer.

Limitations of the RaaS Model

The Eclipse team once considered building a Rollup as a Service (RaaS) model, but ultimately determined that this model would be difficult to implement. To achieve profitability similar to SaaS, RaaS would need to operate a large number of Rollups and charge high fees, which could lead to severe fragmentation and complexity in user experience. Therefore, Eclipse ultimately decided to focus on developing a single Layer 2 solution.

Eclipse vs Solana: Attracting the Ethereum Community

Compared to Solana, Eclipse is more likely to attract members of the Ethereum community. Neel believes that Ethereum's advantages in economics and theoretical computer science can help address the spam transaction problem caused by low fees that Solana faces. Additionally, as an Ethereum Layer 2, Eclipse lowers the barriers for user migration, making it easier for core members of the Ethereum community to accept.

Business Model and Deployment

The business model of Eclipse primarily relies on sequencer revenue. Referencing Arbitrum's revenue model, this is considered a viable profit-making method. In terms of project deployment, projects with Solana smart contracts can be deployed to Eclipse almost seamlessly, while EVM contracts need to be rewritten in Rust. Eclipse has also partnered with Neon to provide conversion services from EVM contracts to SVM contracts.

Interaction with Celestia and RISC Zero

Eclipse adopts a transaction batching approach similar to Optimism and Arbitrum, but chooses to publish data on Celestia to improve throughput. When processing fraud proofs, Eclipse calls RISC Zero to generate zero-knowledge proofs, which are then verified by Ethereum.

Future Outlook

Currently, there are 15 different Dapps deployed on the Eclipse platform, covering various fields such as consumer applications, game incubation, NFT markets, and Launch Pads. The project plans to launch the mainnet for developers early next year, and will gradually open to the public thereafter. As the ecosystem continues to expand, Eclipse is expected to become an important bridge connecting the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems, providing Web3 users with a high-performance and highly secure blockchain experience.