Vitalik Buterin joins critics of layer 3 solutions

Buterin joined the discussion on the value of layer 3 (L3) solutions, citing his post from a year and a half ago.

Recently, an online debate broke out regarding the usefulness of L3 protocols for the Ethereum ecosystem. Several speakers pointed out the benefits of these solutions.

He attached to the post a link to his article entitled “What kind of layer 3s make sense?” which he published in September 2022. In it, Buterin expressed the opinion that this category of networks is not directly intended for scaling. Instead, such protocols would implement certain “customized features” for layer 2, he suggested at the time.

Layer 3 solutions are the general name for protocols deployed on top of existing layer 2 (L2) solutions. As with L2’s, the third layer of networks is designed to scale and expand the functionality of the main blockchain.