Breaking through the DeFi barriers and bringing a highly-performance network with inbuilt liquidity to builders and users isn’t an easy task! It’s also the task that takes a novel approach to the network structure.

This is the first of a series of articles explaining this structure in more detail. It will focus specifically on the chain layer, and the more technological tools making the Network possible. Talking about this chain layer is impossible without acknowledging the contributions of key partners: Arbitrum and Gelato.

The structure of Reya Network

Given the task at hand, Reya Network is naturally a system with multiple parts. In broad strokes, these can be organised in two layers:

• the chain layer, which provides the tools to fight the common flaws of generalisable chains when applied to trading. It accomplishes it while also guaranteeing security, improved user experience, minimal barriers for development by new teams, and a path towards network decentralisation.
• the protocol layer, which directly tackles the issues of vertically integrated DeFi applications by enriching this technological substrate with a new modular approach to the financial logic. It liberates the application layer, providing a way to build applications on top of the Network by deploying modular components to support trading, such as PnL settlements, margin requirements, liquidations.

Crucially, the Network integrates not only these two layers, but incorporates them into a cohesive system, merging technological and financial principles to bring to light fresh synergies.

The fundamental role of partners

A task of the magnitude the Reya Network addresses is not a solo endeavour. After all, DeFi is especially a story about the power of community, which includes key partners whose contributions are fundamental for the Network. These partners bring valuable domain expertise that raises the quality bar of the Network. And they allow it to scale much faster. Finally, these partners become part of the Reya community, and they will be fundamental factors in making it successful.

In the case of the chain layer, this is especially so, as there are two partners whose contribution is instrumental in deploying the most optimised, reliable and secure Network possible: Arbitrum and Gelato.

The Chain Layer

Reya’s chain layer optimises the speed and throughput of the network and fights the common flaws of generalisable chains when applied to trading. Over time, more of the application specific logic will be moved into the block-building process itself, driving further improvements to the network.

This layer is powered by a customised implementation of Arbitrum Orbit and can achieve up to 100ms blocktimes and 30,000 transactions per second, making it one of the fastest EVM rollups around. It functions as a gas-free network, initially with a set of relayers but eventually these will be removed, meaning transactions are ordered on a FIFO basis. This helps remove front-running and harmful MEV. It is also being deployed and maintained in cooperation with Gelato, rather than as a ‘naked’ rollup, which further enriched the chain layer.

Let’s dive deeper into what these partners bring to the Network.

Arbitrum

Reya Network is an L2 rollup leveraging a customised version of the Arbitrum tech-stack. Arbitrum Orbit is the permissionless path for launching customisable dedicated chains using Arbitrum technology. Essentially, Orbit chains are deployable, configurable instances of the Arbitrum Nitro tech stack. They allow for precise tailoring to the Reya use case: financial trading. On the other hand, being a version of the Arbitrum Nitro tech stack brings with it all of the properties and security assumptions of Ethereum’s base layer, as well as access to all of Nitro’s upgrades, feature additions and improvements.

Reya Network leverages important features of Arbitrum One:

• full EVM+ compatibility: all Orbit chains enjoy the EVM+ compatibility introduced by Stylus, minimising any conversion cost into the Network. In particular, applications can be deployed in the Network through smart contracts written in Solidity, C, C++, and Rust. This will become particularly important in future iterations of Reya Network
• customisable protocol logic: Orbit’s stack allows the Network to customise its settlement, execution, or governance protocols in order to meet specific requirements. For example, transactions are executed on a ‘first-in-first-out’ (FIFO) basis, removing front-running and harmful MEV.
• dedicated throughput: the Network, by specialising to one specific use case — trading — , can ensure high-performance and consistent resource availability. In particular, it has been customised to achieve blocktimes of 100ms and throughput of up to 30,000 transactions per second, making it one of the fastest EVM rollups around.
• gas free transactions: because the Network has dedicated throughput its gas costs are more predictable and directly accountable to the applications in the ecosystem. This means that it is easier to model and predict gas costs, and it is what enables transaction fee subsidisation, i.e., gas free trading, where those gas costs are instead covered by fees the network collects from trading volume. From a users perspective, this means costs are no longer variable but completely predictable transaction costs like when trading on any centralised venue.
• improved user experience: dedicated throughput and transaction fee subsidisation are also an important element in abstracting technical complexity away from end users. One example of how Reya Network does this is how users deposit and withdraw directly into the clearing mechanism, without wallet intermediation, and in a way that minimises the number of steps and approvals involved. More generally, Reya Network applications will more easily reach non-technical audiences.
• Ethereum security: Reya Network operates as an L2, not an L3, meaning it directly inherits Ethereum’s security rather than using Abirturm One as an intermediary. Reya Network will also have a DA solution, which will be announced soon.

Gelato

Rather than building a ‘naked’ rollup, Reya Network is being deployed in partnership with Gelato. Gelato is a rollup-as-a-service, this is a key strategic partnership that further brings assurances, performance improvements and scalability to the Network.

Here are highlight important benefits of partnering with Gelato:

• expert deployment: Reya Network benefits from all the specialised domain knowledge from Gelato, which means that it is deployed according to the highest industry standards.
• guaranteed uptime and 24/7 monitoring: the Gelato team offers monitoring round the clock, ensuring high availability and expert support with any issues. In particular, they have a proven track record of delivering 99.9% uptime over the last four years.
• full native integration into key services: Gelato’s deployment is automatically natively integrated with 3rd party tools like oracles, bridges, data indexers and account abstraction.
• integration of Gelato’s web3 services: native integration of Gelato’s comprehensive suite of web3 services, including Gelato Relayers and Functions, enabling a fully automated, gas-free environment.

Arbitrum and Gelato are just the first two key partners making Reya Network possible. Community is everything, and by involving more stakeholders and decentralising the building of Reya Network in every way is an important mission for its success.

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