Blockchain Scalability and Layer 2 Solutions Flashcards
7 cards from real Blockchain Technology practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Blockchain Scalability and Layer 2 Solutions flashcards as text
What is the primary goal of Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions in blockchain?
Answer: To increase transaction throughput while inheriting security from the base layer
Layer 2 solutions process transactions off-chain and settle on Layer 1, increasing throughput while still relying on Layer 1 for security guarantees.
Which Layer 2 solution was designed specifically to scale Bitcoin by enabling off-chain payment channels?
Answer: Lightning Network
The Lightning Network is a Layer 2 protocol built on Bitcoin that allows two parties to open a payment channel and transact off-chain, only settling the final balance on-chain.
What is a state channel in the context of blockchain scalability?
Answer: An off-chain communication channel where participants exchange signed state updates without touching the blockchain for each transaction
State channels allow participants to lock funds on-chain, then exchange signed messages off-chain, only posting the final state to the blockchain when closing the channel.
In Optimistic Rollups, how is transaction fraud prevented?
Answer: A challenge period allows validators to submit fraud proofs if invalid transactions are detected
Optimistic Rollups assume transactions are valid by default and rely on a challenge (dispute) period during which anyone can submit a fraud proof to revert invalid state transitions.
What is database sharding as applied to blockchain scalability?
Answer: Splitting the blockchain's validator set into smaller groups that process different transaction subsets in parallel
Sharding splits the network into shards, each processing a subset of transactions in parallel, increasing overall throughput without every node needing to process all transactions.
Which type of rollup uses cryptographic validity proofs to immediately finalize transaction batches on Layer 1?
Answer: ZK-Rollups
ZK-Rollups generate a zero-knowledge proof (such as a SNARK or STARK) for each batch, allowing Layer 1 to verify correctness instantly without a challenge period.
What is the main security trade-off when using a sidechain compared to the Ethereum mainnet?
Answer: Sidechains rely on their own consensus mechanism and validator set, which may be less decentralized or secure than the main chain
Unlike rollups that inherit Ethereum's security, sidechains have their own validators and consensus rules, meaning users must trust that sidechain's security model independently.