Base Ditches Optimism Infrastructure for Independent Tech Stack
Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network backed by Coinbase, has announced it is transitioning away from Optimism's OP Stack infrastructure to an independent tech stack. This move aims to reduce Base's reliance on external dependencies and increase its hard fork schedule from three to six per year.
The new unified stack, designated 'base/base,' consolidates previously distributed codebase elements into a single repository built on open-source components including Reth. Node operators will need to migrate from Optimism releases to Base's client software to remain compatible with future network upgrades.
Base maintains Stage 1 decentralization status under Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's rollup classification system and will continue purchasing support from Optimism through its OP Enterprise program. The blockchain's roadmap includes transitioning from optimistic to TEE/ZK proofs in an upcoming hard fork, with subsequent releases planned to implement Ethereum's Fusaka and Glamsterdam upgrades.
Optimism's OP token declined 4% in the 24 hours following the announcement, while Base currently holds $3.85 billion in total value locked, making it the largest blockchain in what was the OP Stack Superchain ecosystem. Optimism stated that they will continue to serve Base as an OP Enterprise customer while they build out their independent infrastructure.