# OP Stack interop Design Overivew

By [guest.base.eth](https://paragraph.com/@guest.base) · 2024-04-26

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**Summary**

Interop allows for horizontal scaling of smart contract systems by shard-ing gas-intensive processes across multiple chains.

Highlights

*   Interop enables scaling of smart contract systems by identifying and distributing gas-intensive processes across multiple chains
    
*   Interop allows for horizontal scaling, similar to traditional Web Two tech, optimizing the developer experience for smart contract applications
    
*   Users will expect equivalent experiences across different chains, driving demand for low latency interop
    
*   The cost and simplicity of interop depends on the security model and compatibility between chains
    
*   Modular smart contract systems are an important step towards scalable interop solutions
    
*   The success of interop will depend on the incentives and compatibility between different rollup ecosystems
    
*   The impact of interop on vertical scaling and the future of modular applications is uncertain, and depends on the cost and effectiveness of solutions
    

Key Insights

*   Interoperability offers the potential to horizontally scale smart contract systems by identifying and sharding gas-intensive processes across multiple chains. This approach mirrors traditional Web Two tech, allowing for increased scalability in smart contract applications.
    
*   The current approach to smart contract systems is often monolithic, lacking modular applications and protocols. Interop aims to fundamentally change the developer experience by introducing modular smart contract systems that can be scaled horizontally.
    
*   User demands for equivalent experiences across chains drive the need for low latency interop. While the Ethereum community supports low latency interop between rollup ecosystems, the incentives and compatibility required for this to occur are unclear.
    
*   The cost and simplicity of interop depend on the security model and compatibility between chains. Interop between chains with homogeneous security models may be simpler and cheaper than interop between chains with different security models.
    
*   The concept of modular smart contract systems is crucial in developing scalable interop solutions. By breaking down smart contract applications into smaller, more manageable components, it becomes easier to identify and optimize gas-intensive processes.
    
*   The success of interop will depend on incentives and compatibility between different rollup ecosystems. While historically, proprietary solutions have often outperformed open solutions, the future of interop will require collaboration and alignment between different chains and ecosystems.
    
*   🧪 The impact of interop on vertical scaling and the development of modular applications is uncertain. It remains to be seen whether interop solutions that work between cross-frameworks will be cheaper and more successful than solutions that work within specific frameworks.

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*Originally published on [guest.base.eth](https://paragraph.com/@guest.base/op-stack-interop-design-overivew)*