Thread by @LensProtocol

Introducing Lens Network. Bringing one billion users to Ethereum.

Our mission is to create an open and fair social network for all. No restrictions. A place where everyone can connect, participate, and build. We believe that digital social spaces will drive Ethereum's mainstream adoption.

We are excited to make a big bet to scale Lens on Ethereum, leveraging @zksync’s stack to achieve mainstream scale. It’s time to validate our thesis by building a network designed for social spaces.

Rollups have given Ethereum unprecedented scale, serving millions of users. But now we need to go bigger, faster and more cost-efficient to reach mainstream adoption.

The Lens Network is a hybrid and modular infrastructure, initially launching as a Validium chain on Ethereum, and later evolving into a Volition. At that stage, we’ll leverage both Validium for social transactions and ZK rollup for financial transactions.

With Validium, Lens can utilize Ethereum to secure state transitions, and a separate DA solution for state storage, boosting cost-efficiency. Volition adds flexibility, allowing high-value financial transactions to inherit Ethereum’s full security.

https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1747193558204105006

Further scalability with ZkSync is achieved by scaling horizontally with ZK Chains communicating seamlessly, using ZK proofs to simultaneously verify each other’s state and process transactions independently.

docs.zksync.io/zk-stack/conce…

Lens Network will launch in a 3-phased rollout plan. Starting as an EVM-compatible Validium chain on Ethereum and converting into a Volition network built with @zkSync’s ZK Stack – the modular, open-source framework based on the zkSync Era code.

Seed: Validium batches all transactions and generates a ZK proof that all state changes are valid. This proof is submitted to Ethereum, ensuring the network's integrity.

Grow: public and private Validium chains are supported to enable a wide range of social networking use-cases. The public Validium chain uses a DA provider guaranteeing state data security.

Lens Network’s architecture will support privacy-preserving features. In the Seed and Grow phases, privacy features are integrated directly into the RPC node network, enabling users to share or withhold data while still being verifiable by anyone.

Later on, Lens will support advanced privacy techniques for the Lens Network, using ZK proofs, opening up the possibilities for developers building privacy-preserving social use cases.

Bloom: in this final stage, a ZK rollup is added. The network becomes known as Volition. Users can choose to settle financial transactions more securely with Ethereum DA, while opting to secure social transactions on Validium with a separate DA provider.

The Lens Network will become the main hub for Lens Protocol existing users. Furthermore, separate instances of Lens Protocol can be deployed on other EVM and non-EVM networks. The Lens Network will reach builders and users where they already are.

Alongside scaling improvements, users and developers will see major UX upgrades. These include gasless, signless transactions using Account Abstraction, embedded wallet support, network bridging and near instant transaction finality.

Users and applications can keep using the existing Lens Protocol and later migrate to Lens Network. Lens is committed to supporting the smooth migration of application teams and users, during a transition period.

Dive into the detailed Lens Network technical architecture on @t2wrld app.t2.world/article/clw6l2…

The future of social can only be successfully built in constant dialogue with their stakeholders: both the users and builders. As we move ahead with the Lens Network roadmap, builder and user feedback are welcomed.

We have opened a LIP discussion for community feedback. Contribute here: github.com/lens-protocol/…