Arbitrum
Arbitrum is currently the fourth-largest blockchain in terms of the total value locked (TVL) into its decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem
Arbitrum is a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, designed to increase the scalability and performance of the Ethereum network. It is a sidechain that runs parallel to the Ethereum mainchain, but with its own consensus mechanism and infrastructure.
Arbitrum aims to offer faster and cheaper transactions on Ethereum by offloading some of the transaction processing from the mainchain to the sidechain. It uses a technology called optimistic rollups, which is a type of scaling solution that allows many transactions to be bundled together and processed off-chain, with only a summary of those transactions being submitted to the mainchain.
This approach allows for significantly faster transaction processing times and lower fees, as many transactions can be processed at once without congesting the mainchain. It also helps to reduce the load on the Ethereum mainchain, making it more efficient and scalable for all users.
Arbitrum has been gaining popularity as a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, and is used by a growing number of decentralized applications (dApps) and other projects within the Ethereum ecosystem. Its mainnet was launched in September 2021, and since then it has become one of the most widely used layer-2 solutions on Ethereum.