Last week, Linea, an Ethereum Layer 2 network supported by Metamask wallet developer Consensys, proposed a plan as part of its protocol design, detailing the steps required to become a fully decentralized L2 chain.
This proposal, titled "Towards the Decentralization of Linea," was put forward by Linea software architect Florian Huc. It includes a high-level framework for transitioning the zkEVM to a permissionless system and establishing decentralized governance by modifying its existing block validation, block proposal, and finality processes.
The goal of the proposal is to achieve finality for blocks at both Layer 2 and Layer 1 levels. In this setup, Linea's sequencer will confirm L2 finality, while L1 finality will be guaranteed when the data and proofs of L2 blocks are published to Ethereum.
Contributors to Linea also proposed replacing the network's current L2 finality system with a proof-of-stake (PoS) model for block validation, which would require validators to stake tokens and participate in the QBFT consensus algorithm. The proposal notes that misbehaving validators will be penalized, including the destruction of a portion of their staked assets.
Additionally, the proposal suggests introducing an on-chain auction system to select block proposers, allowing any node to bid for this role. The highest bidder will win the right to propose blocks, and the bid amount will be burned to reduce the total supply of tokens.
Furthermore, the system includes a recovery mode to ensure that even if the validator set is inactive for six months, the system can continue to operate. In such cases, any node can begin confirming the finality of blocks.