Blockchain General

Shared Sequencing

An infrastructure layer that replaces individual rollup sequencers with a decentralized network providing ordering-as-a-service for multiple rollups simultaneously. Shared sequencers like Espresso and Astria enable cross-rollup atomic transactions, fair MEV distribution, and reduced centralization risk by coordinating transaction ordering across rollups.

IDshared-sequencingAliasShared Sequencer Network

Plain meaning

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An infrastructure layer that replaces individual rollup sequencers with a decentralized network providing ordering-as-a-service for multiple rollups simultaneously. Shared sequencers like Espresso and Astria enable cross-rollup atomic transactions, fair MEV distribution, and reduced centralization risk by coordinating transaction ordering across rollups.

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Shared Sequencing (shared-sequencing)
Category: Blockchain General
Definition: An infrastructure layer that replaces individual rollup sequencers with a decentralized network providing ordering-as-a-service for multiple rollups simultaneously. Shared sequencers like Espresso and Astria enable cross-rollup atomic transactions, fair MEV distribution, and reduced centralization risk by coordinating transaction ordering across rollups.
Aliases: Shared Sequencer Network
Related: Sequencer, Based Rollup, Rollup
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Branch

Sequencer

The entity responsible for ordering, batching, and submitting transactions in a Layer 2 rollup. Most rollups currently use a single centralized sequencer operated by the rollup team. Decentralized and shared sequencer designs (Espresso, Astria) distribute this power across a network of operators, enabling cross-rollup atomic composability and reducing single points of failure.

Branch

Based Rollup

A rollup whose transaction sequencing is driven by the Layer 1 base chain's proposers rather than a dedicated centralized sequencer. L1 proposers permissionlessly include rollup blocks as part of L1 blocks, inheriting Ethereum's censorship resistance, liveness, and decentralization. The trade-off is higher latency (constrained by L1 block times), addressed through preconfirmation mechanisms.

Branch

Rollup

A Layer 2 scaling technique that executes transactions off-chain, bundles them, and posts compressed data back to L1. Optimistic rollups assume transactions are valid and use fraud proofs for disputes (7-day challenge period). ZK rollups generate cryptographic validity proofs for every batch. Rollups inherit L1 security while providing 10-100x throughput improvement.

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Blockchain General

Sequencer

The entity responsible for ordering, batching, and submitting transactions in a Layer 2 rollup. Most rollups currently use a single centralized sequencer operated by the rollup team. Decentralized and shared sequencer designs (Espresso, Astria) distribute this power across a network of operators, enabling cross-rollup atomic composability and reducing single points of failure.

Blockchain General

Based Rollup

A rollup whose transaction sequencing is driven by the Layer 1 base chain's proposers rather than a dedicated centralized sequencer. L1 proposers permissionlessly include rollup blocks as part of L1 blocks, inheriting Ethereum's censorship resistance, liveness, and decentralization. The trade-off is higher latency (constrained by L1 block times), addressed through preconfirmation mechanisms.

Blockchain General

Rollup

A Layer 2 scaling technique that executes transactions off-chain, bundles them, and posts compressed data back to L1. Optimistic rollups assume transactions are valid and use fraud proofs for disputes (7-day challenge period). ZK rollups generate cryptographic validity proofs for every batch. Rollups inherit L1 security while providing 10-100x throughput improvement.

Blockchain General

Shielded Transaction

A Zcash transaction where sender address, receiver address, and amount are encrypted using zk-SNARKs, providing cryptographic privacy while allowing network nodes to verify validity without learning private details. Shielded transactions operate within dedicated value pools (Sapling or Orchard), each with independent circuit designs. Users can selectively disclose transaction details to third parties using viewing keys without compromising spending authority.

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Blockchain Generalsequencer

Sequencer

The entity responsible for ordering, batching, and submitting transactions in a Layer 2 rollup. Most rollups currently use a single centralized sequencer operated by the rollup team. Decentralized and shared sequencer designs (Espresso, Astria) distribute this power across a network of operators, enabling cross-rollup atomic composability and reducing single points of failure.

AliasRollup Sequencer
Blockchain Generallightning-network

Lightning Network

A Layer 2 payment channel network built on Bitcoin that enables near-instant, low-cost transactions by conducting most activity off-chain. Two parties open a channel by locking BTC in a multisig transaction, then exchange signed commitment transactions off-chain; only the opening and closing transactions are broadcast on-chain. Payments can be routed across multiple channels using Hash Time-Locked Contracts (HTLCs), enabling trustless multi-hop transfers.

AliasLightningAliasLN
Related terms

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Blockchain Generalsequencer

Sequencer

The entity responsible for ordering, batching, and submitting transactions in a Layer 2 rollup. Most rollups currently use a single centralized sequencer operated by the rollup team. Decentralized and shared sequencer designs (Espresso, Astria) distribute this power across a network of operators, enabling cross-rollup atomic composability and reducing single points of failure.

Blockchain Generalbased-rollup

Based Rollup

A rollup whose transaction sequencing is driven by the Layer 1 base chain's proposers rather than a dedicated centralized sequencer. L1 proposers permissionlessly include rollup blocks as part of L1 blocks, inheriting Ethereum's censorship resistance, liveness, and decentralization. The trade-off is higher latency (constrained by L1 block times), addressed through preconfirmation mechanisms.

Blockchain Generalrollup

Rollup

A Layer 2 scaling technique that executes transactions off-chain, bundles them, and posts compressed data back to L1. Optimistic rollups assume transactions are valid and use fraud proofs for disputes (7-day challenge period). ZK rollups generate cryptographic validity proofs for every batch. Rollups inherit L1 security while providing 10-100x throughput improvement.

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Blockchain General

Blockchain

A distributed, append-only ledger that records transactions in cryptographically linked blocks. Each block contains a hash of the previous block, forming an immutable chain. Nodes in the network maintain copies of the ledger and reach agreement through consensus mechanisms. Blockchains enable trustless, decentralized record-keeping without a central authority.

Blockchain General

Consensus Mechanism

The protocol by which nodes in a distributed network agree on the current state of the ledger. Common mechanisms include Proof of Work (Bitcoin), Proof of Stake (Ethereum, Solana), and BFT variants. Consensus ensures all honest nodes converge on the same transaction history despite potential network delays or malicious actors.

Blockchain General

Proof of Stake (PoS)

A consensus mechanism where validators are selected to produce blocks based on the amount of cryptocurrency they have staked (locked) as collateral. PoS is energy-efficient compared to Proof of Work. Misbehaving validators risk losing their stake (slashing). Solana, Ethereum (post-Merge), Cosmos, and Cardano use PoS variants.

Blockchain General

Proof of Work (PoW)

A consensus mechanism where miners compete to solve computationally expensive puzzles to produce blocks and earn rewards. PoW provides strong security (51% attack resistance) but is energy-intensive. Bitcoin and pre-Merge Ethereum use PoW. The difficulty adjusts to maintain target block times regardless of total network hash power.