INTRODUCTION

Espresso is the base layer for rollups! With modularity in mind, you can choose which parts of Espresso to use (confirmations, decentralized sequencing or data availability)

Espresso is the base layer for rollups. It is designed with modularity in mind, meaning rollups can choose which parts of Espresso they want to use, instead of adopting everything.

The Espresso stack offers three core functionalities that rollups can leverage:

Confirmations

Normally, when you send a transaction on a rollup, you have to wait until it’s finalized on the parent chain (like Ethereum). That can take a long time — sometimes up to a few hours, depending on how frequently the rollup posts to the parent chain.

Confirmations are Espresso’s way of saying: “This transaction is valid and won’t be reversed.” Think of confirmations as getting a fast receipt for your transaction — one you can trust, even before finality occurs in the parent chain.

Espresso confirmation are safer because they are backed by BFT consensus in the Espresso Network.

- For users → it means you don’t wait a few minutes or hours to be sure your transaction is safe.

- For apps → it means they can react instantly, without worrying that the chain will roll back later.

Decentralized Sequencing

Every rollup has a sequencer - the component that determines the order in which transactions are included in its next block.

• In many rollups today, the sequencer is centralized (run by one party). That means they control ordering, and could censor or reorder transactions. It also acts as a single point of failure.

• Espresso offers decentralized sequencing, where many independent parties work together to agree on the order of transactions.

Why does this matter?

- Fairness → No single sequencer can front-run or censor users.

- Resilience → If one sequencer goes offline, others keep things running.

- Trust → Users know the transaction order wasn’t manipulated.

Data Availability

For a rollup to be secure, everyone must be able to see the raw transaction data. Why? Because if the sequencer disappears or cheats, anyone should still be able to re-execute the rollup and verify what’s correct. This is called Data Availability (DA).

Most rollups today post their data to a parent chain (for example, Ethereum). While Ethereum is very secure, using it for DA is expensive and not very scalable (though there are upgrades planned to address this)

With Espresso, rollups can use a shared data availability layer that’s cheaper and faster, while still keeping the data verifiable and widely accessible. Espresso DA makes data availability very cheap for any rollup.

Why does this matter?

- Cheaper transactions → Posting all data to Ethereum is costly. Espresso DA reduces that cost.

- Scalability → More transactions can fit without increasing fees.

- Security → Data is stored in a way that anyone can check, so the rollup can’t “hide” transactions.

With Espresso, rollups can choose any combination of the above features—confirmations, decentralized sequencing, and data availability.

To take advantage of these features, a rollup must first be integrated with Espresso. This involves updating the necessary rollup components so they can interact with the Espresso Network.

Once integrated, dapps built on top of that rollup can tap into Espresso confirmations to deliver a faster, more reliable, and secure user experience.

Espresso Personas

You can use and understand Espresso from different angles. In the documentation, you will find some pages that are specific to a persona:

👩‍💻 dApp Developers

Build applications on rollups that benefit from Espresso’s instant confirmations and shared infrastructure. Your users enjoy faster, safer interactions without waiting for slow settlement times. You don't make the rollup integration, only use the exisiting integrations.

🧱 Rollup Developers

Design and operate rollups that plug into Espresso’s Network. Your main role is to integrate a rollup with Espresso.

⚙️ Node Operators

Run nodes that power Espresso’s consensus and data availability. By participating, you help secure the network and strengthen the guarantees it provides to rollups and applications.