Optimism is a Layer 2 blockchain built on top of Ethereum. It is designed to make Ethereum faster and more affordable by reducing transaction costs while still relying on Ethereum’s security.
Optimism uses Optimistic Rollups, a technology that processes transactions off-chain and submits them to Ethereum mainnet in batches. This lowers transaction fees and increases throughput while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum smart contracts and developer tooling.
Because Optimism is compatible with Ethereum’s tooling and smart contracts, developers can deploy existing Ethereum applications on Arbitrum with minimal changes.
Network Tokens
Optimism has two core network tokens, each serving a specific purpose within the ecosystem:
ETH (Ether)
ETH is used to pay for gas fees on the Optimism network. To use ETH on Optimism, it must be bridged from Ethereum mainnet. Once bridged, ETH can be used for transactions and smart contract interactions on Optimism.
OP
The native governance token of the Optimism ecosystem. It is used for protocol governance, allowing token holders to participate in decisions about network upgrades, funding initiatives, and ecosystem development. OP is not used to pay for gas fees.
Learn more at optimism.io.