# Ethereum Layer 2 List Ranked by Activity, Fees and Value

> A sortable Ethereum layer 2 list: each rollup's transactions, users, fees, Ethereum costs, value secured, stack and data availability, read on-chain.

Markdown copy of https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/ethereum-layer-2-list

**Question:** Which Ethereum layer 2s are the largest by transactions, users, fees and value locked?

- Kind: Table in Voltfin Strata
- Topic: [Layer 2s](https://voltfincrypto.com/topics/layer-2)
- Chains: Multi-chain, Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, OP Mainnet, ZKsync, Linea, Scroll, Unichain, Starknet
- Status: Planned. The data is not published yet, so this page states no figure; each figure will open its receipt when it is.

This table lists every covered Ethereum layer 2 once, with the measures people use to compare them: transactions and active addresses per day, the fees users paid, the value held through its bridges and what each rollup paid Ethereum to post its data and proofs. Sort any column to rank the rollups by it.

Each row also says how the chain is built: its stack, where it publishes transaction data and whether it proves its state with fraud proofs or validity proofs. Those facts change what the numbers mean, so a chain that keeps its data off Ethereum is labelled rather than mixed in silently.

Every number comes from the chains themselves: layer 2 blocks and receipts for activity and fees, Ethereum transactions for costs and bridge contract balances for value, each pinned to the block it was read at.

## Blueprint

One row: One row per layer 2, over the latest complete 30 days

- **Layer 2** (`layer_2`): The layer 2, linked to its own page where one exists.
- **Stack** (`stack`): The software stack the chain runs: OP Stack, Arbitrum Nitro, ZK Stack or another.
- **Proof system** (`proof_system`): Fraud proofs, validity proofs or none live yet, as the chain's contracts on Ethereum show.
- **Data availability** (`data_availability`): Where the chain posts its transaction data: Ethereum blobs, Ethereum calldata or an external network.
- **Transactions per day** (`transactions_per_day`, count): Average daily transactions over the 30 days, system transactions left out.
- **Active addresses** (`active_addresses`, count): Average daily distinct sending addresses over the 30 days.
- **User fees, 30 days** (`user_fees_30d`, USD): Fees users paid on the layer 2 over the 30 days, L1 data fees included.
- **Paid to Ethereum, 30 days** (`ethereum_costs_30d`, USD): Gas and blob fees of the chain's batch and proof transactions on Ethereum over the 30 days.
- **Value secured** (`value_secured`, USD): Canonically bridged and natively minted assets at the last day-end block, valued with on-chain prices; unpriced tokens are flagged.
- **Receipt** (`receipt`): The blocks, contracts and reads behind the row's figures.

## How it will be measured

- Transactions and active addresses are 30-day daily averages counted from each layer 2's blocks, with system transactions left out and an address counted once per day however many transactions it sends.
- User fees are summed from layer 2 receipts, including the L1 data fee on OP Stack chains; Ethereum costs are the gas and blob fees of each rollup's batch and proof transactions on Ethereum.
- Value secured is the balance of each rollup's canonical bridge contracts on Ethereum plus tokens minted natively on the layer 2, valued with Chainlink feeds at the same day-end block; unpriced tokens are flagged, never valued at zero.
- Stack, proof system and data availability come from a curated chain registry with a source for each entry, checked against where each rollup actually posts its batches.

## Data it needs

- `l2_activity_daily` (to build): Per layer 2 per day: transactions, active addresses, fees users paid on the L2, and what the L2 paid Ethereum to settle and post data.
- `bridge_flows_daily` (to build): Deposits into and withdrawals out of canonical and major third-party bridges by chain, token and day, plus escrow balances at day end.
- `token_supply_daily` (to build): Total supply of each registry token on each chain at day end: wrapped BTC, liquid staking tokens, tokenized assets and other tracked tokens.
- `native_prices_daily` (to build): Reference prices of major assets read from on-chain oracle feeds (Chainlink latestRoundData) at each day's last block, with each round's update time.
- Source: Each layer 2's blocks and receipts: transaction counts, senders and fees
- Source: Ethereum gas and blob fees of each rollup's batch and proof transactions, found by batcher, inbox and proposer addresses
- Source: ETH balances and balanceOf of canonical bridge and portal contracts on Ethereum at day-end blocks
- Source: totalSupply() of natively minted tokens on each layer 2
- Source: Chainlink price feeds for ETH and major tokens
- Source: A curated chain registry: stack, proof system and data availability, each with its source

## Questions

### What is an Ethereum layer 2?

A network that executes transactions on its own chain and settles them on Ethereum, posting transaction data and either fraud proofs or validity proofs there. Users pay lower fees, and the chain inherits Ethereum's security to the degree its proofs and data are published there.

### What is the difference between optimistic and ZK rollups?

Optimistic rollups treat their state as valid unless someone proves fraud within a challenge window, so withdrawals wait for that window to close. ZK rollups post a validity proof for each batch, so Ethereum verifies the state directly and withdrawals finalize once the proof is accepted.

### Which Ethereum layer 2 is the largest?

It depends on the measure: one chain can lead on transactions while another holds more value or pays Ethereum more. Sort the table by the column that matters to you; each row links to the reads behind it.

### Why is a chain labelled as using external data availability?

Some layer 2s post only commitments to Ethereum and keep their transaction data with a separate network or committee. They cost less to run but depend on that network to publish the data, so the table labels them apart from rollups that post their data to Ethereum.

### How is value secured different from DeFi TVL?

Value secured counts every asset held on a layer 2 through its canonical bridge or minted natively there, whether or not it sits in an app. DeFi TVL counts only what is deposited in DeFi protocols, so the two answer different questions.

## Glossary

- **Rollup**: A layer 2 that posts its transaction data to Ethereum and proves its state there, or lets anyone challenge it.
- **Canonical bridge**: The bridge defined by a layer 2's own contracts, which locks assets on Ethereum and releases them on the layer 2.
- **Data availability**: Where a chain publishes the data needed to rebuild its state: Ethereum blobs, Ethereum calldata or an external network.
- **Validium**: A chain that proves its state on Ethereum with validity proofs but keeps its transaction data off Ethereum.

## Related apps

- [Ethereum L2 TVL: Value Locked in Rollup Bridges](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/ethereum-l2-tvl)
- [Ethereum L2 Fees Compared: Cost per Transaction](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/ethereum-l2-fees)
- [L2 Profitability: Fees Earned vs Costs Paid to Ethereum](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/l2-profitability)
- [Top Ethereum L2s: Monthly League Table of Rollups](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/top-ethereum-l2s-monthly)
- [Layer 1 Blockchain List: Activity, Fees and Staking](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/layer-1-blockchain-list)
- [Ethereum TPS: Mainnet and Layer 2 Transactions per Second](https://voltfincrypto.com/apps/ethereum-tps)

Build it in Voltfin Studio: https://app.voltfincrypto.com/signup?next=%2F