Today, the leading web3 software technology company, Consensys, announces the mainnet alpha release of its highly anticipated Linea zkEVM rollup network. The launch follows a successful testnet phase that saw 5.5 million unique wallets commit over 47 million transactions in three months, making Linea one of the largest and fastest-growing projects on Goerli. This week Linea will be onboarding its testnet partners, before opening the network broadly during EthCC. 

Linea Mainnet Alpha Ushers in the Age of the Builder and New Era of Scalability

This milestone accelerates the onset of the age of the builder, where everyone is a participant and builder in a global network generating value for themselves and their communities. The mainnet alpha release brings us a step closer to a new era of scalability with a range of innovative features and integrations aimed at reducing friction for developers and enhancing onboarding. DeFi applications are choosing Linea for its fast finality, capital-efficient bridge and inherited Ethereum security. NFTs, gaming and social apps benefit from the zkEVMs EVM Equivalence, low gas fees, high throughput and low latency.

With an ecosystem of over 100 protocols, developer tools and dapps from all around the globe, Linea empowers users, builders and developers to start building on day one. Built on five years of extensive research, it delivers faster throughput and transaction fees up to 15 times lower than Ethereum Layer 1, thanks to its recursion-friendly, lattice-based prover. The mainnet alpha release introduces several upgrades that include a new outer-proof system and batch conflation, as well as a dynamic fee mechanism to manage changes in L1 gas fees. 

Joe Lubin, Founder and CEO of Consensys, expresses excitement about Linea’s mainnet alpha launch stating that: “The convergence of various blockchain networks around Ethereum as a data and security layer accelerates the establishment of web3 and decentralized protocols as a new decentralized trust foundation for the world’s systems. With the Merge to Proof of Stake and the broad traction of the rollup-centric roadmap, Ethereum L2s are set to play a crucial role in making great advances in scalability and usability. Linea’s zkEVM is the catalyst we've been waiting for to empower developers to shape the future of decentralized applications and encourage the builder in everyone. The next chapter of web3 will be written on Ethereum L2s, and Linea is poised to become a major trusted L2 execution environment for scalable dapps.” 

Linea used its testnet to not only harden its zkEVM but also attract and learn from a thriving ecosystem of partners who are forming the early pillars of the network’s ecosystem. As partners begin migrating to the alpha release, they will unlock a constellation of new scalable dapps from gaming and identity to decentralized social networks and NFTs.

“The launch of Linea's mainnet alpha is a major milestone on the path to delivering scalable and user-friendly blockchain solutions. Developers are building new apps leveraging Linea’s fast finality, seamless withdrawals and Ethereum-level security, while full EVM equivalence has enabled seamless adoption by many of web3’s most popular apps,” said Nicolas Liochon, Global Product Lead for Linea.   

Linea Gains Out-of-the-Box Integrations with Leading Web3 Players, Amplifying Network Adoption and Growth

Linea’s zkEVM is fully EVM bytecode compatible and offers out-of-the-box integrations with MetaMask, the world’s leading self-custody web3 wallet, and popular Consensys developer tools, including Infura, Diligence and Hyperledger Besu.

MetaMask today announced plans to deepen Linea integrations with MetaMask Portfolio. MetaMask Portfolio is a decentralized web app to which users can connect their MetaMask wallet to access a range of curated web3 features including Portfolio View, Buy, Swap, Bridge and Stake. Over the next few weeks, MetaMask will offer Linea to users of its popular Bridge, Swap and Buy features, which aggregate providers vetted for offering safe and reliable web3 experiences.

Consensys Announces Linea Ecosystem Investment Alliance, Rewards Early Testers and Supports Future Use Cases

To accelerate the growth of the Linea ecosystem, Consensys is launching the Linea Ecosystem Investment Alliance (EIA), an investment syndicate of over 30+ leading venture capital firms to support builders through validated interest, dedicated capital and a clear pipeline to the network. Interested builders are encouraged to apply HERE.

Speaking on the launch of the Linea EIA, Michael Camarda, Director of Corporate Development at Consensys, said: “Raising capital as an entrepreneur can be difficult even in the best of times. Through the EIA, Consensys and our partners are excited to support projects looking to redefine DeFi, gaming, NFTs, social and more. Our message to builders is, we want to hear from you and we’re here to support.”

Plus during EthCC in Paris next week, Consensys will recognize the efforts of hundreds of thousands of testers who participated in its Linea Voyage program and prepared the network for mainnet alpha. On July 18th, the Linea team will unveil the first major NFT collection on the network, with an open mint for all Voyage participants and a limited edition drop recognizing top Voyage testers. Together with rich bug bounties and hackathon prizes of up to $50,000 for teams, Consensys is excited to celebrate and recognize the early community building and testing on Linea. Come build with us.