Offchain Labs presents a revolutionary update, “Stylus,” promising an efficient, cost-effective, and expansive ecosystem for developers building on Arbitrum across the board. Stylus bridges the gap between traditional EVM tools and WASM-compatible languages like Rust, C, and C++. This development promises not only a reduction in gas costs but also the facilitation of previously implausible blockchain use cases.
Why Stylus is a Game-Changer
Building on the foundations laid by Arbitrum Nitro, Stylus takes another giant leap, combining the best features of EVM and WASM. It expands the scope of development from the confines of 20,000 Solidity developers to potentially millions using Rust and C, without altering the core functionality of the EVM. This amplification promises faster execution times, lower gas costs, and the unlocking of new use cases, setting new standards in decentralization and security on the Ethereum L2 chain.
Unveiling Stylus: A Paradigm Shift
Stylus opens up a live testnet for developers, fostering the creation of smart contracts in Rust, C, and C++ in tandem with existing EVM languages. Eager developers can now delve into the Stylus community on Discord to share experiences and feedback, fostering a collaborative environment for growth and innovation.
Who Benefits from Stylus?
Stylus caters to a broad audience, from seasoned Web 3 developers keen on exploring WASM-compatible languages with Arbitrum chains, to newcomers in the blockchain sphere. Its offerings resonate with Solidity developers seeking economical compute and memory solutions for their dApp, and blockchain developers familiar with Rust environments like Solana and NEAR who aspire to enjoy the advantages of working within the EVM. Furthermore, it stands as a reliable tool for those venturing into deploying standard cryptography libraries.
Key Features of Stylus
Stylus ushers in a series of groundbreaking features that redefine native Ethereum development. From facilitating the use of popular programming languages to ensuring complete interoperability between Solidity contracts and WASM programs, Stylus opens up a realm of possibilities. Its enhanced computational speed and cost-efficiency unlock new EVM use cases that were previously considered unfeasible. Furthermore, its safety protocols, including opt-in reentrancy, elevate the security benchmarks in the blockchain domain.
What Sets Stylus Apart?
Designed exclusively for Arbitrum, Stylus retains the platform’s maturity, security, and scalability, while also introducing compatibility with Arbitrum Orbit L3 Chains for an even more customized experience. It capitalizes on the vast network of protocols, communities, and partners within the largest Ethereum L2 ecosystem, promising comprehensive blockchain and Rust tooling support right from the outset.
Efficiency and Savings with Stylus
Stylus stands as a beacon of efficiency, slashing gas bills and reducing memory and storage fees considerably compared to Solidity. It allows developers to deploy existing libraries with minimal modifications, saving time and effort in the development process.
Looking Ahead
As Stylus moves forward, a comprehensive audit of its source code and SDKs by Trail of Bits is on the horizon, ensuring contract safety. The inclusion of Stylus support will be determined through a DAO-governed voting process involving Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova. To learn more, join the AMA session on September 7 and participate in the Stylus discussion at ETHGlobal NY from September 22-24, where $20,000 in bounties await!
Embark on this journey with Stylus, and be a part of the revolution that promises to redefine the realms of blockchain development!
