Web3Caff Research releases a report on the seven major derivative narratives of modular blockchains: Is the future of multi-chain modularization about to enter a season of full explosion?

ChainCatcher news, the Web3 industry research and analysis platform Web3Caff Research recently released an in-depth report on the seven major derivative narratives of modular blockchains. Fang Jun, a partner at Uweb and a special researcher at Web3Caff Research, pointed out in the report that Web3 infrastructure is undergoing comprehensive modularization, a trend commonly referred to as "modular blockchain," which is the fundamental cornerstone for building the future multi-chain world. The best starting point for discussing modularization is Ethereum. Ethereum's scalability is Rollup-centric, characterized by a surge of L2 solutions. Ethereum L2 has created a demand for middleware layers, such as DA, Rollup frameworks, shared sequencers, interoperability, ZK proof services, and more. Previously, discussions on modular blockchains were largely focused on Rollup frameworks or DA layers; therefore, this report attempts to observe from a broader perspective to provide a panoramic view. Starting from Ethereum, the grand narrative of modular blockchains is derived into seven narratives (Ethereum, DA, Rollup, Cosmos, BTC L2, middleware, ZK).

The report further points out that observing the modularization of Web3 infrastructure from the center of Ethereum is reasonable. First, the technological infrastructure supporting Web3 applications is almost entirely based on the model first proposed by Ethereum, namely the "smart contract platform." Second, the mainstream trend of modularization is to split Ethereum, which functions as a single blockchain, into numerous modules for innovation and replacement, and then recombine them. Third, important technologies such as VM, DA, account abstraction, Rollup, and ZK are primarily developed within the Ethereum ecosystem. Fourth, the Ethereum and EVM-compatible ecosystem has taken shape and dominates, with most applications choosing to extend from it. This discussion will help us understand the emerging foundational chains (especially various Rollups, BTC L2, etc.), horizontal layers (such as DA layers, staking layers/re-staking layers, ZK proof networks, etc.), and can assist in predicting potential new hotspots.

The report also notes that the Ethereum ecosystem, particularly EVM, still holds a dominant position; although numerous L2 chains have emerged, horizontal layers may deserve more attention; the BTC L2 ecosystem will develop rapidly, mainly due to the demand for utilizing BTC as an asset; new technological directions continue to emerge, with ZK being the most noteworthy.