Lighter.xyz Achieves Over 4,000 TPS with Minimal Data Footprint, Outperforming Major Rollups

Lighter.xyz, a zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup operating on Ethereum, has demonstrated impressive performance metrics, processing over 4,000 transactions per second (TPS) while posting only approximately 100MB of data per day to the Ethereum mainnet. This efficiency is largely attributed to its innovative use of state diffs and an application-specific architecture, as highlighted by blockchain researcher donnoh.eth.

The performance figures present a notable comparison to other prominent Ethereum Layer 2 solutions. According to donnoh.eth's analysis, Arbitrum processes 37 TPS with 436 MiB/day, Base handles 155 TPS at 2.11 GiB/day, and Optimism (likely the intended reference for "soneium") achieves 39 TPS with 241 MiB/day. Lighter.xyz's ability to maintain high throughput with significantly lower data output underscores its optimized design.

Lighter.xyz functions as a decentralized perpetual exchange (DEX), leveraging custom ZK circuits to ensure verifiable order matching and liquidations. The platform recently launched its public mainnet following an eight-month private beta period and has quickly amassed a Total Value Locked (TVL) exceeding $1 billion. This rapid growth positions it as a key player in the decentralized finance space, aiming to offer low-cost and low-latency trading, including zero fees for retail users.

The ZK rollup utilizes Ethereum blobs, a feature introduced with the Dencun upgrade, to efficiently post transaction data to the mainnet. Blobs provide a dedicated space for rollup data, significantly reducing transaction costs and increasing data availability for Layer 2 solutions. Lighter.xyz's application-specific design allows it to tailor its ZK proofs and data structures for optimal performance in perpetual trading.

Backed by prominent venture capital firms such as Haun Ventures, Founders Fund, Dragonfly, and Robot Ventures, Lighter.xyz is focused on scalability and security. While its zk program is not yet open source, and its Oracle authentication is slated for future strengthening, the platform's current performance metrics demonstrate a significant advancement in ZK rollup technology for high-frequency decentralized trading.