In the rapidly evolving field of blockchain, new architectures are emerging daily. Among these are various innovative designs, such as Layer-2 solutions utilizing the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM). Today, we will delve into Eclipse, a project at the forefront of adopting this technology. We'll explore what Eclipse is, how it functions, its architecture, and more, using examples!

What is Eclipse?

Eclipse is the first Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, utilizing the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM). This solution is designed to greatly enhance the efficiency and scalability of Ethereum L2s. By leveraging the high-performance characteristics of SVM, Eclipse provides a more powerful, faster, and cost-effective computing environment. It enables developers and users to transcend the limitations of the traditional Ethereum blockchain. Eclipse is committed to introducing innovative solutions to the Ethereum ecosystem, thereby facilitating broader adoption and advancing the evolution of blockchain technology.

Before going deeper into the architecture and technical parts, it is useful to take a look at what the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) that Eclipse uses is.

What is Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)?

Designed to process transactions on the Solana Blockchain rapidly, efficiently, and in a scalable manner, SVM allows for parallel processing, enabling simultaneous handling of multiple transactions through its special feature, Sealevel. With smart contracts deployed on SVM, Solana's speed and efficiency increase, while its parallel processing capability supports high transaction volumes, preventing congestion and high fees.

SVM also provides developers with a powerful platform that supports smart contracts and decentralized applications. With a focus on performance, its design enables greater scalability and lower transaction costs, making Solana an attractive option for developers and users seeking fast and cost-effective blockchain interactions.

Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) provides Eclipse Mainnet with the best SVM execution environment, offering exceptional scalability on an L2.

Eclipse’s Architecture

Settlement Layer - Ethereum

Eclipse utilizes Ethereum as its settlement layer, employing Ethereum's established economic security and its validating bridge to validate all Eclipse transactions, preventing the submission of invalid states. This integration ensures a high level of security, akin to the foundational support a building relies on. Additionally, Ethereum’s widespread acceptance and liquidity facilitates efficient operations within DeFi and NFT markets, with Eclipse utilizing ETH as its primary gas token

Data Availability - Celestia

Eclipse's usage of Celestia for data availability is pivotal, as it ensures the availability and verifiability of all transaction data, forming a cornerstone of the network's integrity. With Celestia's upgrade to support up to 8 MB of blobspace per block, Eclipse gains the essential capacity to efficiently support high transaction volumes, akin to a well-organized public library managing vast amounts of information. This advancement not only guarantees transparent and readily available data but also reinforces the network's overall security, instilling confidence and trust among its participants who are able to utilize data posted to the data availability layer to reconstruct the rollup state and check for any malicious actions.

Execution - Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)

At the centre of Eclipse's architecture is the aforementioned Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), which is known for its extremely fast and highly efficient transaction processing. Unlike Ethereum's EVM, which operates in a single-threaded fashion, SVM excels at parallel processing, providing a significant increase in throughput and scalability. This parallel processing capability is similar to upgrading from a single-core processor to a multi-core processor and enables Eclipse to effortlessly handle a wide range of applications, from basic transfers to complex dApps interactions.

Proving - RISC Zero

Eclipse utilizes RISC Zero to craft zero-knowledge fraud proofs, optimizing the verification process by bypassing intermediate state serialization and traditional Merkle trees, thereby reducing potential performance impacts. This approach enhances security by ensuring state validity and preventing malicious activities/errors in transaction processing in a succinctly verifiable manner without disclosing underlying data, much like a detective verifying facts discreetly.

In Eclipse Mainnet, RISC Zero is used to generate zero-knowledge proofs of fraud, enabling transaction processing without the need for intermediate state serialization.

Cross-Chain and Communication Protocols

Eclipse leverages the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) Protocol from Cosmos and collaborates with Hyperlane for permissionless cross-chain interactions between Cosmos chains and non-IBC enabled chains, such as Eclipse, enhancing interoperability across different blockchain ecosystems. This setup enables Eclipse to serve as a bridge, connecting diverse blockchain networks and facilitating seamless transactions, akin to international travel adapters that seamlessly allow devices from one country to be used in another.

Community and Developer Support: Eclipse supports popular tools and integrations like Metamask Snaps and Neon Stack to ease transitions for developers and users from the Ethereum ecosystem, emphasizing its user-centric approach.

Lifecycle of an Eclipse Transaction

To explain the life cycle of a process in Eclipse in an everyday context, let's liken it to ordering a pizza 🍕 :

Creating a Transaction (Ordering Your Pizza)

Imagine you want to order a pizza. You start by choosing your pizza via a food app (comparable to a dApp in blockchain). Here, you select your toppings and confirm your order. The app then sends your order details (similar to a signed transaction) to the pizza shop’s ordering system (akin to the RPC node in blockchain), which verifies and accepts your order.

Sequencing Transactions (Organizing Pizza Orders)

Once the pizza shop receives your order, it needs to sequence or prioritize it among other orders. This is crucial because the order in which pizzas are made can affect delivery times or how hot or cold your pizza is when you eat it, much like how transaction sequencing on the Eclipse Mainnet can influence the order in which transactions are processed and thus the outcome of transactions. The shop might use a simple system where orders are made as they are received (first in first out ordering) or a more complex system that prioritizes regular customers or larger orders (similar to different sequencing strategies on blockchains).

I recommend you to take a look at my article titled "An Overview of Sequencers" where I talk about Sequencing and Sequencers in detail.

Producing a Block (Making the Pizza)

After the sequencing, your pizza is made. In blockchain terms, this is similar to the block production phase, where transactions are confirmed and their results are calculated. The chef (executor) prepares your pizza, adds all the desired ingredients, and cooks it the way you want. The finished pizza represents the completed block of transactions, ready to be delivered.

Settling a Transaction (Delivering and Verifying Your Pizza)

Finally, the pizza delivery person brings the pizza to your doorstep. This is akin to the settlement phase in blockchain. Just as you would check your pizza to make sure it's made correctly (optimistic settlement), in the blockchain world, verifiers check the block of transactions to ensure everything was processed accurately. If everything looks good (no discrepancies found), the transaction is finalized, much like how you accept your pizza and the order is completed.

What's new with Eclipse?

1. High-Performance Parallel Processing: Eclipse utilizes the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) to provide parallel processing capabilities. This structure not only enhances transaction speed but also supports large-scale applications, ensuring low transaction fees even under high traffic conditions.

2. Data Availability Sampling (DAS): Supported by Celestia's DAS, Eclipse enables users to independently verify the availability of block data. This feature increases the security and transparency of the network while also bolstering its scalability.

3. Code and User Portability: Eclipse facilitates code portability using tools such as Neon, and enhances user portability with Metamask Snaps. This allows for smooth transitions and integrations across various ecosystems.

4. Optimized User Experience (UX): With isolated fee markets and parallel execution, Eclipse is posed to deliver a fantastic user experience that other L2s cannot. Even if there are pieces of hot state such as a popular NFT mint, all users will still experience low transaction fees.

Conclusion

As the first Layer 2 solution for Ethereum equipped with Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) technology, Eclipse aims to significantly increase transaction speed, throughput, and security in the blockchain world. As we have seen in this article, Eclipse offers several solutions with different features, each with its advantages. In particular, some features maximize transaction speed, while others provide higher security. In particular, SVM's parallel processing capability further accelerates transaction throughput and scalability of Ethereum. With the development of these technologies, Eclipse's impact on the blockchain ecosystem is truly exciting. These innovations can push the boundaries of Ethereum, giving users and developers access to a wider range of applications.

To explore and learn more about Eclipse, I suggest you join the Discord, check out Eclipse Documentation and Eclipse Mirror.