The Avail Vision: Reshaping the Blockchain Landscape

At Avail, we’re creating the base layer for future blockchains, enabling developers to build rollups and appchains with scalability, flexibility, and ease. Read about our vision of the future, one where Web3 is accessible for developers to build with the ease of Web2, transforming outdated trusted organizations into trustless systems without human bias.

It’s been 100 days since we announced our decision to become separate from Polygon, and pursue an independent path, focusing on becoming the consensus and data availability layer of choice for the entire blockchain ecosystem.

Many exciting developments have transpired since then. We released the second long-running testnet, Kate Testnet, earlier this month. A new set of external validators have already joined the system, and participants have started to run validator and full nodes, as well as light clients.

It takes courage to choose one’s own path, so it has been heartwarming to see projects and new partners reach out to us to discuss collaboration opportunities. A number of integrations are already underway, notably with Sovereign Labs, Dymension, Madara, and others. When we are reaching out to potential partners, the feedback and product-fit that projects are talking about has been encouraging to hear. It reaffirms our belief that as a consensus and data availability focused chain with data availability sampling, we are creating the base layer for future blockchains.

Moving Towards Modularity

Over the last year, the rollup construction for execution scaling has taken center stage. Rollups are now recognized as the main way to do off-chain computation off a base layer.

With this and other developments, blockchain constructions are inherently becoming modular as we speak. Ethereum rollups essentially perform execution off-chain and depend on the base layer to handle data availability and settlement, most commonly via the rollup smart contract.

Rollups focus on scaling execution but what about scaling data availability? Data scaling for rollups is the next frontier for all base layer blockchains. Avail is at the forefront with an unparalleled data availability interface and an innovative security approach.

Simplifying Blockchain Integration and Transforming Trust

Our global society is structured around trusted systems and organizations, which inherently have human elements that hinder scalability and introduce bias. Companies and individuals routinely use trusted systems such as escrows to move funds, even today. We can do better.

Blockchain technology, with peer-to-peer interactions, allows us to remove the human element from trust and rely on mathematics to mitigate bias and scale trust not just within a country, but across the world.

Ultimately, blockchain technology has the power to transform ownership, trust, and value exchange and we are driven by this belief to make trustless computing infrastructure accessible to developers and to push the boundaries of what is possible.

We want to build infrastructure that enables application developers to integrate trustless components into their applications.

"Our goal is to eventually enable asynchronous appchains. We believe that just as Web2 microservices scaled the Internet, appchains with asynchronous composability will scale blockchains and trustless computing."
Anurag Arjun

In the future, end-user applications will be composed of components across various appchains, instead of on a single monolithic chain, increasing scalability, flexibility, and interoperability. We have a large design space to enable asynchronous composability: the ability to construct applications that (asynchronously) bring together functionality from multiple appchains.

Examples of what this could look like are: payment rails as a service, escrow as a service, and ledger as a service (e.g., NFTs, fungible token accounts), and much more complex applications that replace today’s trusted solutions in everyday apps.

To enable widespread use, the developer experience for asynchronous composability in appchains needs to be the equivalent of integrating APIs in regular apps. When we achieve this, we’ll see the adoption of developers bringing their creativity in how a trustless service can be embedded in everyday applications.

To get us there, we will empower chain developers through our robust data availability base layer, making it effortless for them to launch their own chains. We strive to simplify the blockchain integration process, driving innovation and reshaping the future of blockchain.

What’s Already Possible on Avail

Our current focus is to be the default DA layer for Ethereum rollup infra when they want to deploy a Validium, Optimistic chain or L3 chain; and to make deploying a sovereign app as easy as deploying a smart contract on Ethereum.

Avail is a base modular layer for other blockchains to build on top, most notably rollups. These rollups could be validity proof-based, optimistic (fraud-proof based) or simply pessimistic rollups (all state transitions are re-executed). Avail provides consensus and data availability as a service at scale to rollups.

Avail Light Clients leverage KZG polynomial commitments, erasure coding, and Data Availability Sampling (DAS) to allow verification without downloading block data (except a small random sample). They can also download all transactions for a single application/rollup, enabling application full nodes.

This allows a massive, vibrant ecosystem to be built on top:

• Different types of rollups that leverage Avail blockspace, but can be adapted for unique needs.
  • Sovereign rollups
    • Validity proof/ZK rollups
    • Optimistic rollups
    • Pessimistic rollups
  • App-specific chains
    • Custom execution and state (think Cosmos-style app chains but in validity proof or optimistic constructions)
  • General purpose chains with complex environments like the EVM, SVM
• Infrastructure applications like Validiums and L3 sequencers
  • Validiums
  • Optimistic chains
  • Layer 3 chains
• State validating bridges, the strongest interop method, enable asynchronous composability across rollups.
• Shared security: applications do not need their own validator set. One-click new chains.
• Light clients will be built into application clients (& wallets) and we will have millions of these.

Looking Ahead

Avail's vision encompasses transforming the blockchain landscape through a robust consensus and data availability layer. By providing raw blockspace to modular chains, Avail empowers developers to build rollups and appchains with scalability, flexibility, and ease. As Avail evolves, it opens doors to verifiable computation, asynchronous messaging and the potential for an extensive ecosystem.

Walking on a different path from the crowd takes courage, determination and commitment. I believe our team has what it takes to get us where we want to be.