As #bitcoin struggles to break above 105k, the most talked about altcoins by #Binance users today were #ETH $NEIRO $PEPE and $DOGE tokens.Today, I would like to talk about pessimistic proofs in #AggLayer , one of the innovations that @Polygon offers to the #blockchain ecosystem.
AggLayer, one of Polygon’s innovations to the blockchain ecosystem, continues to lay the foundation for a multi-chain future. Finally, the pessimistic proof system integrated with the AggLayer mainnet v0.2 release brings a completely new approach to secure cross-chain interoperability. This development is not just a technical upgrade; it is also a critical milestone in terms of ensuring security while bridging multiple stacks.
What is Pessimistic Proof and Why Is It Important?
Pessimistic proof, to put it simply, offers a security model based on the system’s skepticism of every chain. In this approach, transactions made on a chain are not considered absolute unless verified by other chains. However, transactions are not blocked unless proven to be false. In other words, it works with the principle of “trust first, allow if no proof.”
Thanks to this model, no chain can withdraw more assets than it deposits from the common bridge it is connected to via AggLayer. This raises the security bar for each transfer between chains. This system provides a valuable layer of security, especially for chains that do not have zero-knowledge proofs of execution.
What Changed with AggLayer V0.2?
In the first version of AggLayer, only chains built with Polygon CDK could be securely integrated. However, thanks to the pessimistic proof structure introduced with v0.2, it became possible for chains with different security architectures to participate in the network. In this way, a stack-agnostic structure was created, not only technically but also philosophically.
A user from Chain A can send assets to Chain B, perform a transaction there, and then buy an NFT on Chain C. And all these transactions can be done without the need for fragile workarounds such as wrapped tokens or central validators.
How is Security Provided?
AggLayer’s pessimistic proof mechanism checks three key criteria:
Whether chains are updated correctly,
Whether each chain does its internal accounting correctly,
Whether any chain tries to pull an asset it does not own.
Thanks to this mechanism, the potential misbehavior of a chain only affects that chain; it does not pose any risk to other chains. Therefore, the growing and diversifying chain network does not lose its security even as it becomes more complex.
Towards the Future
Pessimistic proofs are not only laying the infrastructure for today, but also for tomorrow. With AggLayer v0.3, it is expected that EVM-based chains will also be fully integrated into this system by the end of the first quarter of 2025. This heralds AggLayer’s full transition to multi-stacks.
As a result, pessimistic proofs are not just a technical solution; they are a strategic building block that ensures the security of a multi-blockchain future. Polygon’s steps in this area are creating a secure foundation for interoperability in line with the nature of decentralization. And perhaps most importantly, this security continues to function flawlessly in the background without requiring anything from the user.
