Coinbase’s Base Mainnet Goes Live, User Onboarding Set for August

The Coinbase’s Base mainnet has officially been launched, marking a significant milestone in the development of this Ethereum layer-2 network. The team behind Base has opened the network to builders, allowing them to deploy their applications and prepare for the public launch scheduled for August. This move aims to ensure a smooth user onboarding experience once the network becomes available to the general public.

Big News! Base Mainnet is now open for builders and available on the QuickNode Platform! @buildonbase

What is Base? pic.twitter.com/oQfMzVmu8l

— QuickNode (@QuickNode) July 13, 2023

The creation of the Base network was initially announced by Coinbase in February, and it was hailed as a major vote of confidence for Ethereum. Base is designed as a layer-2 solution for Ethereum, utilizing the OP Stack software developed by Optimism. The Ethereum community received the news with great enthusiasm, recognizing the potential of Base to enhance scalability and reduce transaction costs on the Ethereum network.

Coinbase’s Base Mainnet Open for Builders

In a recent announcement on July 13, the Base development team revealed that the mainnet is already operational. Two functional block explorers and an official RPC node have been established, enabling users to read data and transmit transactions. The network has been running smoothly since July 2, processing over 1 million transactions.

To facilitate the transition to Base, an official “OptimismPortal” or Base bridge contract has been deployed on the Ethereum network. This contract allows developers to transfer Ether (ETH) to the new network for gas fees. However, it’s important to note that the bridge currently lacks a web-based user interface (UI), limiting its usage to command-line interfaces or script execution.

The team has deliberately chosen to reserve the UI feature for the upcoming public launch, urging developers to refrain from launching their own UIs until then.

Builders Commemorated with NFTs and Genesis Builder Program

Moreover, the Base team is encouraging builders to participate in the early stages of the network by minting a special non-fungible token (NFT) called “Base is for builders.” This commemorative NFT serves as a token of appreciation for their contribution to the network’s development.

Additionally, developers who deploy a contract to the network and complete a form on the project’s website will receive a “Genesis Builder NFT.” These incentives aim to foster engagement and incentivize early adoption among developers.

Optimism Labs, the creator of the OP Stack software, has also revealed plans to integrate Coinbase’s Base and Optimism into what they call a “Superchain.” This Superchain will consist of multiple networks sharing the same security features.