Those with a keen eye, and a nose for the curious, may have noticed a small but significant update to their Metamask wallets. When selecting a desired chain, an additional option has been quietly added to the list by default, but what is the Linea Mainnet on Metamask, and why is it there?
In essence, Linea Mainnet is an Ethereum virtual machine compliant layer 2 scaling solution designed for developers, and optimized for decentralized applications (dApps). It uses the latest zero knowledge roll up technology, which effectively bundles up large volumes of transactions off-chain, then executes that ‘rollup’ in a single transaction. As a result, it is able to perform tasks at much greater speeds, while costing a fraction of the transaction (gas) fees.
1/
🚀Linea’s Mainnet Alpha launch has been incredible! Over $20m bridged and 670k transactions in under a week, thanks to our amazing community’s support.As a result of the excitement, Ethereum withdrawal times have temporarily increased. 🧵
— Linea (@LineaBuild) July 24, 2023
Why is Linea Mainnet Automatically added to the Metamask Wallet
To get to the bare bones of why Linea Mainnet is there, you need to take a look under the hood. A quick investigation into the new chain reveals that it has come from ConsenSys, the developer responsible for the Metamask wallet.
As the Ethereum network has expanded, incorporating an ever-growing number of projects and use cases, its blockchain has inevitably faced a surge in congestion. The immense volume of transactions it handles can lead to a significant rise in gas fees, making them skyrocket during periods of high activity. However, a practical solution to this issue lies in the implementation of a layer 2 chain, like Linea. By seamlessly integrating with Ethereum, Linea effectively alleviates the strain on the network and substantially reduces transaction costs.
What will Linea Mainnet Mean for Metamask Users
Through Linea, ConsenSys aims to reduce the burden on Ethereum so that dApps can run more efficiently. By developing a dedicated chain specifically for the purpose, the team has built the infrastructure to easily port existing dApps onto the new chain, while also providing the tools for new projects to launch using the Linea system.
For the end user, this simply means that Linea will allow them to interact with the dApps operating on its mainnet, with greater efficiency, and fewer fees. As a result, Linea estimates that its system will process transactions at a cost of approximately 15 times less than the equivalent on Ethereum mainnet.
Linea, is not the only zk rollup in town, with competition coming in form the likes of Polygon and Immutable, among others. The general consensus however, is that this new generation of layer 2 blockchains represent the future of the Ethereum network. For NFTs, it will effectively mean that games and collections can conduct large volumes of traffic, without leaving community members out of pocket.
