Technologie & IA
Layer 1: The Base Layer of a Blockchain
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are examples of layer 1. This term refers to the base networks, with their own rules, consensus, and means of verifying operations.
Ethan BrooksEditorial pen name
Base network rules
A layer 1, or base layer, is a blockchain that has its own validation rules and its own consensus mechanism. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana fall into this category. They are not successive versions of the same network: each one organizes its history and operations according to its own architecture.
02How it works+
This layer defines what constitutes a valid transaction, how blocks are accepted, and how the state of the register evolves. Software called clients apply these rules. The computers that execute them participate in the network with different roles. A node is not necessarily a miner or a validator that produces blocks.
Applications and architecture
03Key points to remember+
We can imagine layer 1 as the foundations and rules of a digital neighborhood. Applications are installed on top of it without inventing their own infrastructure each time. On Ethereum, a contract can manage a token using the network's guarantees. This token is not, however, a new blockchain.
Technical choices produce compromises. Verifying operations, storing data, and communicating between participants takes time, hardware, and bandwidth. Increasing one capacity can also increase the requirements imposed on operators. Comparing networks therefore involves examining several dimensions: security, accessibility of verification, availability, and execution capacity.
The consensus also differs: Bitcoin relies on proof of work, while Ethereum works with proof of stake. Fees, units used, and programming possibilities are not universal. A network capable of executing certain programs does not automatically make all applications secure. Similarly, transferring an asset to another blockchain requires a specific mechanism and can add new dependencies. Knowing which layer 1 an operation takes place on helps to understand who verifies it, what rules apply, and why a wallet asks to select a specific network before signing a transaction.
Locate the base layer
A base layer can be understood as shared infrastructure on which multiple applications record their operations. This image helps separate network rules from the rules of an individual service. An application can change its interface without altering consensus. Conversely, a protocol change can require adaptations in participating software. The term layer describes a position within an architecture, rather than a uniform investment category. The name alone says little about how a network distributes responsibilities or what applications actually depend on it.
Several questions help describe that architecture. Who stores and checks the information? How are new blocks proposed? Which conditions determine the accepted history? The answers identify operating choices and tradeoffs. They cannot be reduced to the time taken for a wallet to display a transaction. Perceived speed also depends on the access service, network conditions and the confirmation level considered sufficient by the application. A fast screen update and a particular level of settlement certainty are different observations.
Avoid misleading comparisons
Base layers can use different units, transaction models and hardware requirements. An isolated indicator cannot therefore establish general superiority. Capacity, costs, data availability and participant diversity describe distinct dimensions. An additional layer may also rely on a blockchain for some guarantees while keeping its own dependencies. Precisely describing the relationship between layers is more informative than simply ranking them by number. Comparisons become useful when the same operation, the same timeframe and clearly defined guarantees are examined together.