
The History of Wasm in Blockchain
Inception of WasmThe web has come a long way since 1989. What began with simple, static pages has blossomed into a world of full-blown applications supporting billions of users. Because web “apps” required dynamic interaction with elements in the HTML document, JavaScript was introduced. It gained widespread popularity and was for a while the only programming language used in the browser. JavaScript as a standard was useful yet limiting. What if some developers didn’t know JavaScript? What if...

Unifying VMs with Blended Execution
Existing general purpose blockchains support apps targeting one virtual machine (VM). They offer single execution of smart contracts written in the VM’s supported programming language(s). In order for users to interact with apps across different VMs, they must bridge between networks and manage various wallets and token standards. This introduces user friction and various trust and security assumptions based on how the bridges are designed. We propose a new paradigm to unify VMs: blended exec...

Introducing Fluent Public Devnet: Building Wasm and EVM-based Blended Apps
If you’ve been following the Fluent journey, you know that Private Devnet V1 was shipped about six months ago and Private Devnet V2 was shipped about four months ago. Wasm-based contracts were delivered first, EVM-compatibility was then enabled, and now for public devnet Wasm and EVM-based contracts can call each other directly. For the first time, blended applications composed of Solidity, Rust and Vyper contracts can be built on Fluent.The First Blended DevnetFluent Public Devnet is an L2 e...
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The History of Wasm in Blockchain
Inception of WasmThe web has come a long way since 1989. What began with simple, static pages has blossomed into a world of full-blown applications supporting billions of users. Because web “apps” required dynamic interaction with elements in the HTML document, JavaScript was introduced. It gained widespread popularity and was for a while the only programming language used in the browser. JavaScript as a standard was useful yet limiting. What if some developers didn’t know JavaScript? What if...

Unifying VMs with Blended Execution
Existing general purpose blockchains support apps targeting one virtual machine (VM). They offer single execution of smart contracts written in the VM’s supported programming language(s). In order for users to interact with apps across different VMs, they must bridge between networks and manage various wallets and token standards. This introduces user friction and various trust and security assumptions based on how the bridges are designed. We propose a new paradigm to unify VMs: blended exec...

Introducing Fluent Public Devnet: Building Wasm and EVM-based Blended Apps
If you’ve been following the Fluent journey, you know that Private Devnet V1 was shipped about six months ago and Private Devnet V2 was shipped about four months ago. Wasm-based contracts were delivered first, EVM-compatibility was then enabled, and now for public devnet Wasm and EVM-based contracts can call each other directly. For the first time, blended applications composed of Solidity, Rust and Vyper contracts can be built on Fluent.The First Blended DevnetFluent Public Devnet is an L2 e...
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Today we introduce Fluent: a general-purpose rollup on Ethereum that lets you build scalable blockchain applications in your favorite programming languages - Rust, TypeScript, Solidity, and more.
Our industry is making great strides towards scaling blockchains while preserving end-user verifiability. The rollup-centric roadmap and modular blockchain movement have sparked a wave of permissionless innovation around rollups, zero-knowledge proofs, rollups-as-a-service (RaaS), light clients, and much more.
The result: Scalable, trust-minimized blockspace for the masses.
However, while we’ve unlocked secure, abundant blockspace on Ethereum, we haven’t yet unlocked developer access to this blockspace. Aspiring developers are faced with the hurdles of learning esoteric programming languages and blockchain-specific details. This steep learning curve creates a non-trivial barrier to entry and discourages many people from building onchain.
There’s a large pool of potential talent that remains untapped as evidenced by the 25,000 developers in web3 today and the staggering 25 million developers in the world.
The goal for Fluent is simple: Enable every developer to build scalable apps on Ethereum.
Think of Fluent as a translator between developers and Ethereum’s Infinite Garden. Developers should be able to step into the garden with little more than their core application knowledge - be it their app’s throughput needs or the programming language they know best.
Fluent’s job is to seamlessly translate their knowledge into the blockchain context. To make Ethereum speak their language.
Fluent is a general-purpose, zkWASM execution layer (Layer 2) for Ethereum. The platform blends together three key innovations:
ZK Rollup
Fluent leverages ZK rollup technology to relieve performance and cost constraints, enabling developers to build high-throughput applications while retaining the security properties of Ethereum.
We’re currently using zk-SNARKs with UltraPlonk and KZG commitments, but are actively researching a Nova-based stack.
Wasm Execution
Fluent uses a WebAssembly (Wasm) virtual machine to significantly lower the learning curve for developers. Wasm allows developers to build applications in general-purpose programming languages like Rust, TypeScript, C/C++, Go, and more.
EVM Tooling Compatibility
Fluent maintains compatibility with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standards, allowing developers to execute and interact with Solidity smart contracts, use tools like MetaMask, and take advantage of EVM innovations. The result is minimal friction for EVM ecosystem users.
We at Fluent Labs are hyper-focused on not only these innovations but on weaving them together in a thoughtful and simple way to offer the best possible developer experience.
This is just the start. We’re very excited for the road ahead. We envision a world where it’s easy for any and all developers to build onchain without compromising developer experiences or security properties.
The Fluent platform is currently under development, but testnet is right around the corner. We’re now taking applicants for our early builders program. Sign up here!
In the meantime, we’ll be sharing more about our progress and thinking. We value openness and plan to build in public. Here are some of the topics we’ll be talking a lot about:
ZK research and performance benchmarks
History and future of Wasm execution
Sequencers and provers
L3s and RaaS
What’s possible with zkWASM rollups
Rollup designs and business models
Platform risk and censorship
Let’s make blockspace abundant and accessible to all.
Very special thanks to our investors, advisors and friends who reviewed and offered feedback on this post 🫶
Today we introduce Fluent: a general-purpose rollup on Ethereum that lets you build scalable blockchain applications in your favorite programming languages - Rust, TypeScript, Solidity, and more.
Our industry is making great strides towards scaling blockchains while preserving end-user verifiability. The rollup-centric roadmap and modular blockchain movement have sparked a wave of permissionless innovation around rollups, zero-knowledge proofs, rollups-as-a-service (RaaS), light clients, and much more.
The result: Scalable, trust-minimized blockspace for the masses.
However, while we’ve unlocked secure, abundant blockspace on Ethereum, we haven’t yet unlocked developer access to this blockspace. Aspiring developers are faced with the hurdles of learning esoteric programming languages and blockchain-specific details. This steep learning curve creates a non-trivial barrier to entry and discourages many people from building onchain.
There’s a large pool of potential talent that remains untapped as evidenced by the 25,000 developers in web3 today and the staggering 25 million developers in the world.
The goal for Fluent is simple: Enable every developer to build scalable apps on Ethereum.
Think of Fluent as a translator between developers and Ethereum’s Infinite Garden. Developers should be able to step into the garden with little more than their core application knowledge - be it their app’s throughput needs or the programming language they know best.
Fluent’s job is to seamlessly translate their knowledge into the blockchain context. To make Ethereum speak their language.
Fluent is a general-purpose, zkWASM execution layer (Layer 2) for Ethereum. The platform blends together three key innovations:
ZK Rollup
Fluent leverages ZK rollup technology to relieve performance and cost constraints, enabling developers to build high-throughput applications while retaining the security properties of Ethereum.
We’re currently using zk-SNARKs with UltraPlonk and KZG commitments, but are actively researching a Nova-based stack.
Wasm Execution
Fluent uses a WebAssembly (Wasm) virtual machine to significantly lower the learning curve for developers. Wasm allows developers to build applications in general-purpose programming languages like Rust, TypeScript, C/C++, Go, and more.
EVM Tooling Compatibility
Fluent maintains compatibility with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standards, allowing developers to execute and interact with Solidity smart contracts, use tools like MetaMask, and take advantage of EVM innovations. The result is minimal friction for EVM ecosystem users.
We at Fluent Labs are hyper-focused on not only these innovations but on weaving them together in a thoughtful and simple way to offer the best possible developer experience.
This is just the start. We’re very excited for the road ahead. We envision a world where it’s easy for any and all developers to build onchain without compromising developer experiences or security properties.
The Fluent platform is currently under development, but testnet is right around the corner. We’re now taking applicants for our early builders program. Sign up here!
In the meantime, we’ll be sharing more about our progress and thinking. We value openness and plan to build in public. Here are some of the topics we’ll be talking a lot about:
ZK research and performance benchmarks
History and future of Wasm execution
Sequencers and provers
L3s and RaaS
What’s possible with zkWASM rollups
Rollup designs and business models
Platform risk and censorship
Let’s make blockspace abundant and accessible to all.
Very special thanks to our investors, advisors and friends who reviewed and offered feedback on this post 🫶
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