8 Major Polygon Scaling Solutions: Building a More Vibrant L2 Interconnected Ecosystem for Ethereum
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8 Major Polygon Scaling Solutions: Building a More Vibrant L2 Interconnected Ecosystem for Ethereum
A review of mature scaling solutions on Polygon.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insights
In the crypto industry, solutions to Ethereum's scalability issues have always represented a massive market. Polygon has long been dedicated to solving Ethereum’s scalability challenges.
What is Polygon?
Polygon is an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution that provides a universal framework for creating Ethereum-compatible scaling solutions. It offers a comprehensive suite of Ethereum scaling technologies. Today, Tokenview takes you through the mature scaling solutions available on Polygon.
1. Polygon PoS
Polygon Proof of Stake (PoS) is one of the most mature scaling solutions in web3 and the best way to launch web3 projects for global users.
Polygon PoS is an Ethereum sidechain compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
By leveraging sidechains for transaction processing, it achieves unprecedented transaction speeds and cost savings. Additionally, PoS uses the Plasma bridging framework and a decentralized network of Proof-of-Stake validators to ensure asset security.
Polygon PoS Features:
Speed
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Intuitive, efficient bridging, deposits, and withdrawals
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Transaction speeds up to 7,000 tx/s—significantly faster than Ethereum (15 tx/s)
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Non-custodial architecture ensures users retain control over their keys
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Leverages Ethereum’s shared security with Polygon’s speed advantages
Scalability
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Compatible with major ERC standards
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Secured by validators and checkpoints submitted to Ethereum
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Minimal downtime across over 1.3 billion recorded transactions
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A strong and engaged community drives adoption and user participation
Flexibility
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Full EVM compatibility enables direct deployment of smart contracts on the Polygon chain
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Composable blockchain allows building diverse applications
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Seamless transfers between Polygon and Ethereum
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User-friendly wallets accessible on mobile and desktop devices
Cost
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Low transaction costs powered by Polygon’s Proof-of-Stake architecture
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Transaction fees are approximately 10,000 times lower than on Ethereum
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Predictable gas fees and deflationary token economics via EIP-1559 token burning
2. Polygon zkEVM
Polygon zkEVM is the first open-source zkProver offering full EVM opcode equivalence and Ethereum-level security. Originally named Hermez, it was acquired by Polygon in August 2021 and rebranded as Polygon zkEVM. According to Vitalik Buterin’s classification of EVM compatibility levels, Polygon zkEVM currently ranks at level three alongside Scroll—placing it at the forefront among ZK Rollups in terms of EVM compatibility.
Polygon zkEVM Features:
Powerful and Trustless
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zk-SNARKs provide Ethereum-level security
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High throughput of up to 2,000 TPS
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Non-custodial architecture
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Full ownership and control over assets (censorship resistance)
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Data availability secured on Ethereum mainnet
The Only Decentralized zk-Rollup
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Fully open-source and community-driven
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Seamless integration with Hermez REST API
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Permissionless coordinator network
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Decentralized auction model with validator reward tokens
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Minimal governance approach
Simplified Token Transfers
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Simple web and mobile wallet applications
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Low-cost token transfers
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Atomic swaps
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Fees paid in a single currency
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Fast and efficient withdrawals within minutes
3. Polygon Avail
Polygon Avail is a general-purpose, scalable, data-availability-focused blockchain designed for independent chains and off-chain scaling solutions.
Avail Features:
Data Redundancy
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Each piece of data is erasure-coded using polynomial interpolation
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Redundancy makes data suppression significantly harder
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Light clients achieve ~100% confidence in data availability through a constant number of queries
Low Resource Requirements
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Availability guarantees without requiring full node hosting
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Application clients can query only data relevant to them without downloading entire blocks
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System scales with increasing users, enhancing data availability
Polynomial Commitments
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Avail uses KZG polynomial commitments to avoid fraud proofs
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Each block’s data is committed to headers
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Light clients sample data and verify using commitment openings
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Batch openings help optimize verification and proof size
4. Polygon Edge
Polygon Edge is a modular and scalable framework for building private or public Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. Guided by modular architecture principles, it delivers Ethereum compatibility to networks.
Polygon Edge Features:
Bring Your Ethereum Smart Contracts
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Users can interact via JSON-RPC with industry-standard wallets
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Develop using Solidity/Vyper with full EVM support
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Build using widely adopted Ethereum tools, libraries, and development environments
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Simplified UX for cross-chain operations
Customization
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Build via plugins instead of forking
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Developer-friendly plugin system
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Modify core functionality using consensus plugins
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Go beyond Ethereum smart contracts using runtime plugins
Cross-Chain Communication
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Fully trustless and decentralized built-in Ethereum bridge solution
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Transfer assets between any EVM-compatible networks, especially Polygon and Ethereum mainnet
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Transfer ERC-20 tokens, NFTs, or wrapped native currencies
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Customize bridge functionality using bridge plugins
5. Polygon Nightfall
Nightfall is an Optimistic Rollup developed by Polygon in collaboration with EY, targeting enterprise clients. Nightfall’s Optimistic-ZK rollup enables efficient, decentralized business transactions with privacy, opening new possibilities for enterprises on Web3. It is currently in testnet phase.
Polygon Nightfall is an Optimistic Rollup designed to reduce the cost of privately transferring ERC20, ERC721, and ERC1155 tokens. It leverages Optimistic Rollups to lower transaction fees and employs zero-knowledge proofs for privacy. The Optimistic Rollup contract is deployed on Ethereum (Layer 1). Proposers bundle transactions into blocks and submit them to the Optimistic contract. Challengers submit fraud proofs for invalid blocks to the same contract. All information required for private transfers resides client-side, without relying on any off-chain third parties.
Polygon Nightfall Features:
Use Cases
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Supply chain orchestration
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Private NFT markets
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Private DAO voting
Transaction Benefits
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Higher efficiency and throughput, with each transaction costing only ~12k gas
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Privacy enabled by zk technology
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Trustworthiness rooted in Ethereum’s security
Decentralization
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Full ownership and control over assets
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Non-custodial architecture
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Liquidity providers incentivized for instant withdrawal of fungible tokens also satisfy the requirement of having at least one honest validator
Accessibility
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Public domain and community-driven
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SDK provided for development
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Network wallet accessible via Polygon website
6. Polygon Miden
Polygon Miden is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. Miden leverages zero-knowledge technology (zk-STARKs) to “roll up” thousands of Layer 2 transactions into a single Ethereum transaction, increasing throughput and reducing fees. At its core is the Miden VM—a Turing-complete, STARK-based virtual machine providing high security and supporting advanced features not yet available on Ethereum.
Polygon Miden Features:
Secure and Scalable
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Ethereum-level security provided by zk-STARKs
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Transparent (no trusted setup) and post-quantum secure
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High throughput: 1,000+ TPS pre-sharding, 10,000+ TPS post-sharding
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Low transaction fees: over 100x cheaper than Ethereum
Secure and Programmable
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Arbitrary smart contracts written in Solidity and other languages
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Account abstraction and other features not yet available on Ethereum
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Formal verification of contracts simplified due to secure VM architecture
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Clear roadmap for privacy-preserving smart contracts
Open and Permissionless
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Fully open-source and community-driven development
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Decentralized and permissionless network
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Non-custodial architecture (full asset ownership)
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Censorship-resistant
7. Polygon Zero
Polygon Zero leverages Plonky2’s speed to deliver a more scalable and decentralized ZK L2. It offers aggregation and validation modes enabling higher throughput and lower fees. What sets Polygon Zero apart from other ZK scaling solutions is Plonky2—the world’s fastest zk proof system—which generates ZK proofs faster than any existing technology. Plonky2 supports efficient recursive proof generation, allowing Polygon Zero to scale horizontally—meaning protocol throughput is limited only by total available computing power, not by the weakest node in the network.
Polygon Zero Features:
Fast
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Powered by Plonky2, the world’s fastest zk proof system
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Generates ZK proofs in 170 milliseconds on a commercial laptop
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Ethereum security without waiting periods
Lightweight
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Stateless validators store about 5 bits per active account
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Proof size as small as 45kb in size-optimized mode
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Transactions executed off-chain and efficiently proven on Ethereum
Revolutionary zk-EVM
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Fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine
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Horizontally scalable powered by Plonky2
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A composable zkEVM that scales with the total computing power available to the network
8. Polygon Supernets
Polygon Supernets offer end-to-end services for building and supporting dedicated blockchains, eliminating the complexity of blockchain development without needing to maintain blockchain infrastructure.
Benefits of Supernets:
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Supernets enable rapid setup of custom, high-performance blockchain networks
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Quickly launch a decentralized validator set with specialized validator partners
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Supernets provide access to advanced tools and services
Supernets Features:
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EVM compatible
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Customizable
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High performance
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Interoperable
Summary
Polygon is a framework for creating Ethereum-compatible blockchain scaling solutions.
Its scaling solutions include zero-knowledge rollups (ZK Rollups), optimistic rollups (Optimistic Rollups), and standalone blockchains.
Among these, Polygon PoS is currently the most mature and widely recognized scaling solution on Polygon, while zkEVM, Zero, Miden, and Nightfall form a matrix centered around ZK Rollups. Edge and Supernets are developer tools launched by Polygon.
Going forward, Polygon aims to build a healthier and more vibrant interconnected Layer 2 ecosystem for Ethereum.
This article is compiled from the official Polygon website.
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