Optimism | Notion

🔶 What is Optimism?

Optimism is a Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution for the Ethereum blockchain. It is designed to make Ethereum transactions faster and cheaper by processing them off-chain, while still leveraging Ethereum's security.

Optimism is based on a technology called Optimistic Rollups just like Arbitrum , which allows it to handle large numbers of transactions outside of Ethereum Layer 1, then submit summaries of those transactions back to Ethereum.

Goals of Optimism:

Scale Ethereum without compromising security
Reduce transaction costs (gas fees)
Preserve Ethereum's decentralization and trust model

🔷 OP Stack

The OP Stack is Optimism’s modular, open-source software stack for building Layer 2 blockchains.

1. Components of the OP Stack:

Consensus Layer
- How the chain determines the correct block
Execution Layer
- EVM-compatible; runs smart contracts
Settlement Layer
- Posts state roots to Ethereum
Data Availability Layer
- Stores transaction data (currently uses Ethereum L1)

Use Cases:

You can build your own L2 or L3 chains using the OP Stack
Examples: Base (by Coinbase), ZoraChain

🪙 Optimism Token: $OP

Feature	Description
Token Name	Optimism (Ticker: $OP)
Launched	May 31, 2022
Initial Distribution	Airdrop to early users of Optimism, Gitcoin donors, and Ethereum contributors (Airdrop #1)
Current Role	Governance and ecosystem incentives
Gas Fees	NOT used to pay gas fees — Optimism uses ETH for transaction costs
Total Supply	4.29 billion tokens (as per the official Optimism Foundation docs)
Circulating Supply	Increases over time through airdrops and incentives
Inflation Schedule	Yes, with gradual release for governance, public goods funding, and