Validity Proof

One way to scale Ethereum is to move transactions from Mainnet Layer 1 to secondary chains called Layer 2 chains. There are many different ways to scale Ethereum using L2 chains. One specific method is called a “zero-knowledge rollup” which bundles 100s or 1000s of transactions into a smart contract on L2. A special cryptographic proof called a “validity proof” is then created, which contains the proof that all the transactions are valid. This validity proof is then posted to Ethereum mainnet / Ethereum Layer 1. The advantage to Ethereum validity proofs is that they reduce the cost of transaction verifications on Layer 1. The main disadvantage is that a validity proof with 1000s of transactions is still computationally intensive to a computer, even if that computation occurs on Layer 2.