Layer 2 Bootcamp
Duration: 4 weeks
Become proficient in Layer 2 solutions including State Channels, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Starknet in this 4 week bootcamp. Like all of RareSkills’ web3 bootcamps, each class is limited to 5 and each student gets weekly one-on-one time with the instructor.
Ethereum’s stated scaling strategy is not to make the L1 faster, but to use layer 2 solutions. The goal of this bootcamp is to give students a survey of the recent layer 2 strategies and to equip them to navigate competing solutions that are rapidly changing.
Curriculum
Week 1
The oldest, but still valid, scaling solution for Ethereum has been the payment channel, or the more general state channel. These work by actors staking their tokens or Etheruem in a smart contract, and signing messages off-chain and committing the final result (or a dispute) to the smart contract at the conclusion of their interaction. You’ll learn the uses cases where this performs well, and what its limitations are.
Week 2
We will learn and use the popular optimistic rollups and side chains, specifically Arbitrum, Optimisim, and Polygon. Although they are EVM compatible, there are some environment specific quirks we will learn to look out for. More importantly, we will learn the various ways to bridge assets and information between Ethereum and these three environments
Week 3
We will learn Cairo, the programming language used for Starknet, one of the most popular zk-rollup based layer 2s. You will build and deploy applications to Starknet. The Cairo standard library will also be surveyed.
Week 4
Pick a new L2! There is a large proliferation of layer twos, and it isn’t possible to cover all of them in one course. So for this week, you’ll get comfortable in this ever changing environment by picking an layer two solution (approved by the instructor) and writing a new tutorial for it. A fast changing environment is a great opportunity to contribute to technical education literature!