Practical Takeaway
Most major L2s currently operate with a single sequencer — one entity controlling transaction ordering. Risks include potential censorship, sequencer MEV extraction, and single point of failure for liveness.
Full Resource
Most major L2s (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base) currently operate with a single sequencer — one entity controlling transaction ordering. Risks include potential censorship, sequencer MEV extraction, and single point of failure for liveness. Progress: Arbitrum's BOLD fraud proof enables permissionless validation; Optimism Superchain envisions shared sequencing; Espresso Systems and other third-party infrastructure offers decentralized sequencing as a service.
Most major L2s (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base) currently operate with a single sequencer — one entity controlling transaction ordering. Risks include potential censorship, sequencer MEV extraction, and single point of failure for liveness. Progress: Arbitrum's BOLD fraud proof enables permissionless validation; Optimism Superchain envisions shared sequencing; Espresso Systems and other third-party infrastructure offers decentralized sequencing as a service. Sequencer decentralization matters most for applications requiring strong censorship resistance — DeFi protocols, applications serving users in restrictive jurisdictions.
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