OP Stack Architecture: Bedrock, Fault Proofs, Custom L2s

Frequently Asked Questions

01.What is the OP Stack?

The OP Stack is the open source, modular software stack that powers Optimism's OP Mainnet and every chain that joins the Superchain, including Coinbase's Base network. It standardizes the execution layer, derivation pipeline, and settlement layer so teams can deploy a production rollup by configuring parameters rather than writing a rollup from scratch. Since the Bedrock upgrade in June 2023, the stack shares a single codebase across every OP Chain, which cuts audit surface and lets security fixes propagate to the entire Superchain at once.

02.Are OP Stack fault proofs live on mainnet yet?

No. As of January 2024, fault proofs are running in alpha on the OP Goerli testnet only. OP Mainnet and every live OP Chain, including Base, still rely on a permissioned output oracle where a small multisig of proposers can finalize state roots without a live dispute game. OP Labs has said mainnet fault proofs require reaching stage 2 decentralization criteria first, and has not committed to a mainnet date. Treat fault proofs as an in-progress security upgrade, not a deployed guarantee, when you scope a production launch today.

03.How much does it cost to launch a custom OP Stack chain?

Standing up an OP Stack devnet with default parameters takes an engineer a few days using the public op-stack repository and Docker Compose configs. Getting to a production-grade mainnet deployment with a hardened sequencer, monitoring, custom gas token or fee logic, and a security review is a multi-week engagement, typically several engineer-weeks of infrastructure work plus a dedicated smart contract and node security review before mainnet exposure. Budget scales with how much you deviate from the default execution layer; unmodified chains like Base ship faster than chains with custom precompiles or fee logic.