Arbitrum supported by Infura
Today, we are excited to announce that we are adding support for Arbitrum as a continuation of our efforts to support the Ethereum ecosystem to increase throughput and optimise gas costs.
Arbitrum, created by Offchain Labs, uses optimistic roll-up technology, which allows for high throughput and low gas cost smart contracts while leveraging the Layer 1 security model.
Arbitrum performs the heavy duty computation on Layer 2, while posting batches of transactions to Layer 1. It is “optimistic” in the sense that any posts do not contain accompanying proof of validity, but are followed by a window of time in which another participant can challenge the post by presenting what is known as a “fraud-proof.” A back and forth protocol is then triggered, with an on-chain contract as referee.
Porting contracts from Ethereum to Arbitrum is fast and simple; there's no need to change any code or download any new software. Arbitrum has full support for the EVM, just like Ethereum. Although under the hood it runs Arbitrum Virtual Machine (AVM) - which is optimized for allowing fast progress in the optimistic case while maintaining the ability to efficiently resolve disputes - all smart contract languages that work with Ethereum (e.g. all versions of Solidity, Vyper Yul), also work natively with Arbitrum.
Infura will be providing Arbitrum network access via API endpoints, with all RPC methods supported to build a fully-functional application on Arbitrum. To get started all you have to do is add the new Arbitrum Network Add-on to your account. To do this, login to your Infura account, go to your Ethereum workspace/project list https://infura.io/dashboard/ethereum and click to upgrade your plan:
Click on "Change plan" and from here you will see the new Network Add-ons section, select the Arbitrum network add-on:
You will be taken to a checkout page where you can add access to the Arbitrum network. For a limited time, this service is free for the early adopters.
Our friends at Truffle have simultaneously launched The Truffle Arbitrum Box, which provides developers with the boilerplate structure necessary to start coding for Arbitrum’s Ethereum Layer 2 solution.
This provides the initial building blocks to get started working on Arbitrum without pushing developers to write any particular sort of application. With this box, you will be able to compile, migrate, and test Solidity code against several instances of Arbitrum Networks.
Infura endpoints for the Arbitrum chain are included in the configuration of the Arbitrum Truffle Box, to aid developers in getting fully acquainted with their options when developing for Arbitrum.