The Cairo VM is intentionally tailored for Validity Proof systems and is not constrained by the limitations imposed by the EVM (Ethereum virtual machine).

Cairo is a language for creating STARK-provable programs for general computation. Cairo powers Starknet and StarkEx, scaling applications on Mainnet, including dYdX, Sorare, ImmutableX, and more.

Starknet is a validity rollup, commonly known as a zk-rollup, that functions on the Ethereum network. Rollups process the majority of transaction operations outside of Ethereum and then provide proof of those transactions to Ethereum, reducing the Layer 1 blockchain's load and resulting in faster and cheaper transactions. Starknet was developed by StarkWare Industries, an Israel-based blockchain firm, to scale Ethereum. Starknet launched fully in February 2022 as a permissionless Layer 2 network, allowing anyone to build decentralized applications or dapps on it. StarkWare also developed another platform called StarkEx, which has been live since June 2020, but it is a permissioned network tailored to the specific requirements of dapps.

Before we go into the use cases of the token, let’s understand the optimism token first.

Optimistic Rollup is one of several types of Rollup solutions in the blockchain space, each with its own unique characteristics and trade-offs. Here, I'll explain the key differences between Optimistic Rollup and other Rollup solutions

We have already discussed how the Optimism Blockchain uses the optimistic rollup method, processing transactions in batches instead of one by one. Let’s dive deeper into the working of this layer 2 mini-blockchain.

What Is Optimism?