by careinke » Fri 09 Dec 2022, 05:44:40
Outcast,
Great Questions thanks for asking. I'll try and answer them in order, It may a few responses:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'q')uote="Outcast_Searcher...I'm not clear on what "crypto layered on BTC" is?
layer 1 is the base layer of a Block Chains infrastructure, it pretty much sets the rules, and records ALL transactions. It is basically the Truth of the blockchain.
Layer 2's increase the functionality of layer 1's usually to avoid congestion and increase speed.
I found this site which explains it in detail along with giving you a look at some of the biggest layer 1 and Layer 2 examples.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f we playfully consider blockchain as the “it girl” of Web3, we’re curious to know — how does she do it all? The secret: layers.
Spanning two main types, layer 1 and layer 2, these interoperable networks work together to store, maintain and distribute information across digital decentralized databases that double as peer-to-peer, immutable public ledgers.
Here, we peel back each layer of a blockchain’s makeup for a closer look at their design, purpose and utility.
Layer 1 is the fundamental base network of a blockchain platform. It executes all on-chain transactions and therefore acts as a public ledger’s source of truth.
Processing a transaction, for most networks, consists of logging a user’s cryptocurrency wallet via asymmetric key pairs and its corresponding coin or token balances. The deal passes through a consensus mechanism — which will be distinct to each platform — to verify and finalize the trade or sale. Additionally, layer 1 blockchains host their own native token, which is used to cover transaction costs, or gas fees.
Determining which consensus mechanism is fit for a platform comes down to a trade-off between three main features: security, scalability and decentralization. This compromise is commonly referred to as “the blockchain trilemma,” a concept originally identified by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Whatever isn’t fully covered by layer 1 protocols — typically scalability — can be compensated for in the layer 2 protocol built on top of it (more on that later), serving as an extension to the mainnet’s functionality.
Layer 1 Blockchain Examples
The following list is composed of top layer 1 blockchain networks that power the majority of decentralized applications, or dApps.
Bitcoin: Bitcoin’s layer 1 is the underlying architecture that secures the world’s largest cryptocurrency, top ranked with a live market cap of $367 billion. It operates on a proof-of-work consensus mechanism, which verifies new blocks via an algorithm that uses an computationally-intensive, cryptographic puzzle. Bitcoin is widely considered to be the most secure, decentralized platform — but processing one transaction can take 10 minutes to an hour.
Layer 2 consists of any overlaying network built on top of the mainnet, the layer 1 foundation supporting a blockchain. Typically, layer 2 protocols are optimized for reducing network congestion, lightening the load and increasing throughput of the mainnet. They were created to prevent overdependence or collapse of its layer 1 counterpart. As consensus mechanisms are the defining characteristic to layer 1, so are scaling solutions to layer 2.
While layer 1 chains are the primary security provider within the context of decentralization, layer 2 chains have their own security, but to a far lesser degree, explained software engineer Arie Trouw, who holds over a decade of experience in the blockchain space.
“Layer 2 solutions provide enough security for dApp usage as an alternative to layer 1. They support some or all of the dApp’s functionalities, mimicking the mainnet,” said Trouw, who is also the co-founder of XY Oracle Network, a blockchain protocol currently building a data marketplace-in-the-making. “This allows for bridging between the two layers.”
Layer 2 Blockchain Examples
Lightning Network: Used to support Bitcoin’s main network, this layer 2 addition helps facilitate speedy transactions during heavy traffic — which can take hours — on separate chains independent to the mainnet, reporting the final balance on layer 1 at a calmer time.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')re you talking about BTC forks (and forks of forks, etc) or something else?