Starknet releases SN Stack for appchain development

Ethereum Layer 2 project Starknet now enables developers to launch appchains using its software offering, SN Stack, marking a move towards increased modularity within its ecosystem. Appchains are independent blockchains tailored to specific applications.

Starknet noted that its appchain stack incorporates essential components like Starknet OS for blockchain operations, CairoVM for smart contract execution, Blockifier for block construction, and cryptographic provers and verifiers.

SN Stack is offered in three distinct variants to cater to different developmental needs: Madara, which provides a flexible, open-source modular framework; Dojo, a platform optimized for gaming and advanced on-chain applications; and finally, StarkWare Sequencer, which delivers Starknet’s entire infrastructure for dapps requiring high performance.

“From now on, projects will be able to build appchains using the gold-standard ZK-STARK cryptography with the ease and low cost that has only been possible with optimistic rollups,” said Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of Starknet’s core developer StarkWare.

An appchain called Paradex has been running as a design partner for the current SN Stack introduction.

2024 marked a significant year for Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem. Building on the momentum from previous years, the number of rollups, or Layer 2 chains, surpassed 100, a threefold increase from the end of 2023. This exponential growth has been driven by increasing demand for scalable solutions and the availability of many development tools.

The emergence of modular Layer 2s is supported by developers increasingly using software stacks offered by popular projects such as Optimism, Arbitrum, ZKsync, Linea, and now Starknet.