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Why choose to use rollup for data availability on your Arbitrum chain

Choosing a rollup refers to selecting the Arbitrum Rollup protocol for a chain's data availability (DA) mechanism. This choice is relevant when deploying custom chains or configuring Arbitrum-based systems.

The rollup option prioritizes security and decentralization over cost efficiency. It's ideal for applications needing Ethereum's ironclad guarantees, such as high-value DeFi protocols or where users demand minimal trust in third parties. In contrast, opting out of Rollup (e.g., for AnyTrust) is better for high-throughput, low-cost use cases like gaming or social apps, where slight trade-offs in trust are acceptable for better performance.

This flexibility allows developers to tailor chains to specific needs while building on Arbitrum's optimistic execution framework.

Key Concepts​

  • Data Availability (DA) in Rollups: DA ensures that all transaction data is publicly accessible for verification, fraud proofs, and security. In optimistic rollups like Arbitrum, this is critical to allow challengers to dispute invalid state transitions.
  • Arbitrum Rollup Mode:
    • All batch transaction data is posted directly to the parent chain (Ethereum L1) as calldata or blobs.
    • This inherits Ethereum's full security and decentralization, with no additional trust assumptions—data is always available on-chain for anyone to access and verify.
    • Example: Arbitrum One operates in this mode.

Pros​

  • Security: Provides maximum security and decentralization by inheriting full Ethereum-grade security without additional trust assumptions beyond the base layer.
  • Strong Data Availability: Ensures strong data availability and censorship resistance, as all transaction data is publicly posted on the parent chain, allowing anyone to validate and detect fraud.
  • Trustless and permissionless: Fully trustless and permissionless operation, requiring only one honest validator for the system to remain secure, making it ideal for high-value applications like DeFi protocols.

Cons​

  • Higher costs: Higher transaction fees due to the cost of posting all data on-chain to the parent layer.
  • Withdrawal times: Longer withdrawal times, typically involving a seven-day challenge period for fraud proofs before funds can be moved back to the parent layer.
  • Throughput: Potentially lower throughput compared to AnyTrust mode, as the on-chain data posting can limit scalability for high-volume, low-value transactions.

For implementation, refer to the docs or your RaaS; a list of RaaSes is on the Third-party providers page.