Introduction

Optimistic Rollups (ORs) are one type of layer 2 constructions that do not run on Ethereum's base layer but on top of it. This enables running smart contracts at scale while still being secured by Ethereum. These constructions resemble Plasma, but trade the almost infinite scalability of Plasma to run an EVM compatible Virtual Machine called OVM (Optimistic Virtual Machine) which enables ORs to run anything Ethereum can.

The name Optimistic Rollups originates from how the solution works. 'Optimistic' is used because aggregators publish only the bare minimum information needed with no proofs, assuming the aggregators run without commiting frauds, and only providing proofs in case of fraud. 'Rollups' is used because transactions are commited to main chain in bundles (that is, they are rolled-up).

Pros/Cons

Pros:

1. Flexibility in generalized Computation (Turing-complete / EVM compatible)
2. Increase in scalability (200 to 2000 transactions-per-second (tps) vs Ethereum layer 1's current 10 tps)
3. All Data is available on-chain (no need to trust off-chain data providers)
4. Better UX (as explained above)

Cons:

1. Limited Throughput when compared with some other Layer 2 solutions (Plasma, ZK Rollups, etc.)
2. Some additional security issues are raised

ETH Mainnet vs OP [Number of Daily Swap]

ETH Mainnet vs OP [Swap Daily Volume]

ETH Mainnet vs OP [Average Daily Swap Volume]

ETH Mainnet vs OP [Daily Gas]

Methodology

In this analysis dashboard we use Uniswap Contract Address on ETH Mainnet and Optimism Mainnet for analysis user behavior in ETH and OP.

Uniswap Contract Address on ETH Mainnet:

0x7a250d5630b4cf539739df2c5dacb4c659f2488d

Uniswap Contract Address on Optimism:

0xe592427a0aece92de3edee1f18e0157c05861564

0x68b3465833fb72a70ecdf485e0e4c7bd8665fc45