The wait is over. Caldera's Metalayer is now live on mainnet, offering a robust, shared interoperability solution engineered to definitively unify the rapidly expanding rollup ecosystem and solve the critical challenge of blockchain fragmentation.
We know the Ethereum ecosystem has been anticipating a comprehensive solution to interoperability. After a successful and rigorous testing phase across diverse ecosystems including Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, and ZKsync, and with the collaboration of numerous teams, we couldn't be more excited to bring the Metalayer to the world. It's production-ready and built to connect.
From day one, the Metalayer is enabling seamless integration for cross-chain applications and rollups. We're thrilled to announce that the Metalayer launches with six of our most popular rollups already integrating the protocol: B3, ApeChain, Kinto, ZERϴ network by Zerion, Manta Pacific, and Sanko. These leaders are joined by our foundational infrastructure partners Across, Eco, and Relay for intent execution, and Hyperlane for settlement, forming the bedrock of a unified network of interoperable chains.
What You Can Build and Achieve with Caldera’s Metalayer Today
The Metalayer empowers developers and protocols to overcome the constraints of isolated blockchain ecosystems. Here’s how you can leverage the Metalayer right now:
Launch Truly Interoperable Chains: Deploy new Caldera rollups with the Metalayer interoperability from day zero, or integrate the Metalayer into your existing Caldera chain to instantly connect to a broader ecosystem.
Build Sophisticated Cross-Chain dApps: Utilize the Metalayer’s Developer Toolkit to create applications that facilitate efficient communication and value transfer between rollups, regardless of their underlying stack.
Access Unified Liquidity: Tap into a growing network of shared liquidity, enabling more efficient markets and better user experiences for your applications.
Abstract Complexity: Focus on your core application logic and user experience, while the Metalayer handles the intricacies of cross-chain communication, optimal routing, and secure settlement.
The Metalayer: Engineered for a Connected Rollup Ecosystem
Drawing from Caldera’s unique vantage point powering nearly 25% of all Ethereum rollups, Caldera has engineered the Metalayer to directly address the fundamental interoperability challenges hindering ecosystem-wide growth. The Metalayer is designed as a robust interoperability framework, composed of three core components working in concert to deliver seamless and efficient cross-chain interactions:
Execution Layer (Intent-Based): The Metalayer streamlines cross-chain interactions with intent-based routing by transforming them into simple, intent-based requests. Instead of manually constructing complex transaction paths, users or dApps express their desired outcome (e.g., 'bridge X USDC from chain A to chain B and stake in protocol Z'), which developers can enable through the Metalayer's SDKs/APIs or our white-label UI.
The Metalayer’s sophisticated intent routing network, leveraging strategic partnerships with leading solutions like Across, Eco, and Relay, then programmatically computes the optimal path based on user-defined parameters such as cost, latency, and security. This powerful abstraction layer shields developers and their users from the underlying complexities of bridge-specific protocols and the nuances of wrapped asset management. To further streamline integration, Caldera also provides a white-label UI that rollups can easily offer to their end-users.
Settlement Layer (Secure & Flexible Messaging): Built on Hyperlane’s robust and open-source interoperability framework, the Metalayer’s settlement layer enables fast, secure, and reliable cross-chain message passing. This enables diverse cross-chain operations like smart contract calls, multi-chain governance, and efficient intent settlement. Furthermore, the settlement layer supports multi-chain reads, allowing applications to securely and efficiently query state, such as token balances, DEX liquidity pools, or governance proposal outcomes, from any other chain within the Metalayer network.
Security is paramount, featuring configurable Interchain Security Modules (ISMs). These ISMs empower developers to select and implement security assumptions precisely tailored to their application’s specific risk profile and operational requirements, with any associated costs transparently reflected in solver quotes.
Developer Toolkit (Plug-and-Play Abstraction): The Metalayer’s comprehensive developer toolkit including well-documented APIs, versatile SDKs, and prebuilt UI components, ensures frictionless integration. This toolkit allows development teams to easily submit intents, fetch real-time quotes from supported bridges, execute transactions, and receive timely updates via webhooks or callbacks. By abstracting away the low-level intricacies of cross-chain infrastructure, the Metalayer Developer Toolkit enables teams to conserve engineering resources and focus on their core application logic and unique value propositions. Applications connecting at the intent layer will automatically benefit from future Metalayer upgrades and new interoperability technologies without necessitating disruptive code changes or manual re-integrations.
The Metalayer is automatically deployed with every Caldera chain, guaranteeing "day zero" interoperability for new rollups. It is live today across Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, ZKsync, and Optimism.
Security, Audits, and Reliability: Our Unwavering Commitment
Security is the foundational principle of the Metalayer. We understand that for an interoperability protocol to gain trust and adoption, it must be verifiably secure and relentlessly reliable.
Audit Completion: We are pleased to announce that the Metalayer has successfully completed rigorous security audits conducted by Halborn, a leading blockchain security firm. The full audit report is available for public review here.
Security by Design: The Metalayer’s security model is multi-faceted. It leverages battle-tested underlying protocols like Hyperlane for its settlement layer, employs secure intent-based systems for execution, and offers the flexibility of configurable Interchain Security Modules (ISMs). This layered approach provides robust, adaptable security, presenting a significant improvement over the often opaque, rigid, or less verifiable security models of disparate third-party bridging solutions. Our deep operational experience from running numerous production rollups directly informs and strengthens Metalayer's risk management strategies. At present, there is not a formal bug bounty program specifically for the Metalayer mainnet; Caldera maintains a general approach to security and encourages responsible disclosure.
Technical & Economic Benefits for Your Protocol
Integrating the Metalayer offers tangible and strategic advantages for your rollup or dApp:
Reduced Development Overhead: Eliminate significant engineering effort and ongoing maintenance costs for bespoke or multiple third-party bridge integrations.
Accelerated Time-to-Market: Rapidly enable sophisticated cross-chain functionality for your users and applications. The Metalayer’s plug-and-play toolkit allows your team to innovate faster and deploy new features with greater agility.
Enhanced Liquidity Access & Capital Efficiency: Tap into a unified liquidity ecosystem rather than relying on fragmented, bridge-specific pools. Allow your protocol's native assets to flow freely and efficiently across the Metalayer network, improving capital efficiency and user access.
Future-Proofing Your Interoperability Strategy: Benefit from Caldera’s continuous R&D in the interoperability space. The Metalayer is designed to be an evolving standard, integrating new technologies, security enhancements, and connectivity options as they emerge, ensuring your protocol remains at the forefront without requiring constant re-engineering.
Improved User Experience for Your dApps: Provide users with streamlined and reliable cross-chain functionality. By abstracting away complexity, the Metalayer helps significantly boost user engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction with your applications.
Economic Advantages: By offloading complex interoperability infrastructure concerns to the Metalayer, your team can focus resources on core product development, ecosystem growth, and unique value creation. Furthermore, the increased cross-chain activity facilitated by the Metalayer can contribute positively to your rollup's economic activity, including sequencer revenue capture and overall network value.
The Era of Interconnected Rollups is Here
Today marks a pivotal shift. Caldera envisions a future powered by 10,000 interconnected rollups, and with the Metalayer now live, that future begins. The Metalayer is the foundational, open standard making our 'Internet of Chains' a tangible reality. This isn't just Caldera's solution; it's a collaborative effort to build a more unified, efficient, and powerful blockchain ecosystem for all participants.
Developers, dive into our docs and start building the next generation of cross-chain applications. Explore how the Metalayer can enable enhanced connectivity and scalability for your ecosystem.
Integrate The Metalayer Mainnet: Access our Mainnet Developer Documentation here.
Launch Your Interconnected Rollup: Deploy your high-performance, interoperable rollup on the Caldera platform and get instant connectivity to the Metalayer. Visit our Rollups page to learn more.
Get Support: Join our dedicated developer channels on Discord for technical support and community discussion: Link
Expanding the The Metalayer
The mainnet launch of the Metalayer is a significant milestone, and our commitment to innovation continues with an ambitious roadmap:
MetaERC20: We are actively developing MetaERC20, an omnichain token standard designed to further simplify asset interoperability and reduce liquidity fragmentation across the Metalayer network.
Solana Integration: Work is underway to provide full Solana support across all our bridging solutions, significantly expanding the Metalayer's reach and connecting the Ethereum rollup ecosystem with Solana's vibrant community.
Improved Read Support: We are enhancing and improving cross-chain read support capabilities to enable more complex data queries and sophisticated multi-chain application logic.
Stack-Native Interoperability: Ongoing integration of stack-native interoperability technologies from our partners at Arbitrum, ZKsync, and Optimism, aimed at further enhancing transaction speed and reducing costs for users.
Network Expansion: Strategically extending the Metalayer connections to more major external networks, including BNB Chain, Sophon, and others, to broaden the accessible ecosystem.
Enhanced Developer Tools: Continuously improving our SDKs, APIs, and overall developer tooling to make building innovative cross-chain applications even easier and more intuitive.
The interconnected future of rollups is being built today. Join us. Dive into the Metalayer, start building, and help shape the next generation of decentralized applications. Follow Caldera on X/Twitter and connect with our community!
About Caldera
Caldera is one of the fastest-growing rollup ecosystems on Ethereum, empowering web3 teams to launch high-performance, customizable, application-specific rollups. Dozens of leading EVM chains, including Manta, Apechain, Kinto, Injective, RARI Chain and Zero Network by Zerion, use our trusted Rollup-as-a-Service platform to enjoy unified connectivity with rollups across all leading frameworks.
