Infura Launches Support for Optimistic Ethereum
As the demand for scaling solutions grows, so too does our desire to support developers in accessing them. With that, we are excited to announce that we are now live with support for the Optimism Layer 2 scaling solution in time for the Optimism launch on Uniswap.
Optimistic Ethereum uses an “optimistic rollup” solution to scale smart contracts and enable instant transactions at a fraction of the cost. The Optimistic Virtual Machine (OVM) is a fully-featured, Ethereum-compatible execution environment with smart contracts written in Solidity, making it easy for developers to transition smart contracts over to the Optimistic Ethereum mainnet.
The OVM is an optimistic implementation of the EVM, with computation evaluated client-side by individuals who wish to participate in computation or validation of the latest state, or on-chain within a contract to validate fraud proofs. The OVM will periodically commit to the EVM using bridges, leveraging the EVM security model, with the benefit of being able to perform gas-intensive operations using the OVM and therefore much lower fees.
Infura will provide access to the OVM via an API which you can access via your Ethereum API workspace/project list. Infura will support all the necessary API methods for building a fully functional application on the Optimism network. To get started all you have to do is add the new Optimism Network Add-on to your account. To do this, login to your Infura account, go to your Ethereum workspace/project list and click to upgrade your plan:
From here you will see the new Network Add-ons section, select the Optimism network add-on:
You will be taken to a checkout page where you can add access to the Optimism network. For a limited time, this service is free for the early adopters.
Our friends at Truffle have also launched the Truffle Optimism Box, which provides developers with the boilerplate structure necessary to start coding for Optimism’s Ethereum Layer 2 solution. Truffle provides the initial building blocks to get to work on Optimistic Ethereum 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 Optimistic Ethereum networks. Infura endpoints for the Optimistic Ethereum chain are included in the configuration of the Optimism Truffle Box, to aid developers in getting fully acquainted with their options when developing for the Optimistic Ethereum chain. For more information, please see the Truffle blog.
In addition, MetaMask will provide a lower-friction confirmation to users when adding the Optimistic Ethereum endpoint to their wallet.