The Optimism Superchain is Optimism's vision for an interconnected network of Layer 2 chains built on the OP Stack — a shared, open-source codebase. Base, Mode, Zora, Worldchain, and dozens of others are all OP Stack chains that form the growing Superchain ecosystem.
What Is the OP Stack?
The OP Stack is the open-source rollup framework developed by Optimism. It handles:
- Transaction sequencing and batching
- Data posting to Ethereum
- Fraud proof generation (moving toward ZK proofs long-term)
- Cross-chain messaging via the L2 bridge standard
Any project can fork the OP Stack and launch their own L2. Coinbase used it for Base. Reddit explored it. Worldcoin uses it for Worldchain. The codebase is shared; the chain is independent.
Major Superchain Members
Optimism (OP Mainnet): The original. Home to Velodrome, Synthetix, Exactly, and other Optimism-native protocols.
Base: Coinbase's L2. Fastest-growing OP Stack chain. Aerodrome is the dominant DEX. Massive retail onboarding from Coinbase app integration.
Mode: DeFi-focused L2 with revenue sharing — protocols and users receive a portion of sequencer fees. Incentivizes deploying and using Mode.
Zora: NFT-focused L2. Low-cost minting for creators. Zora's NFT protocol is native but the chain is open to any EVM app.
Worldchain: World ID's L2. Proof-of-personhood verification on-chain. Used by Worldcoin for biometric identity.
Redstone: Focused on tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). Partnered with MakerDAO/Sky for RWA backing.
The Interoperability Vision
The Superchain roadmap includes native cross-chain messaging between OP Stack chains — no bridge fees, near-instant finality. A Base user could call a contract on OP Mainnet in the same transaction without a bridge.
This is the "Superchain" in practice: chains that share security and communicate natively, behaving more like shards than independent chains.
OP Token and Governance
OP is Optimism's governance token. It governs the Optimism Collective through a bicameral structure:
Token House: OP holders vote on protocol upgrades, treasury grants, and major decisions.
Citizens House: Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RetroPGF) — a separate governance body that retroactively funds open-source developers who built things the Superchain benefited from.
Superchain revenue sharing: OP Stack chains that join the Superchain agree to contribute a percentage of sequencer revenue to the Optimism Collective. Base contributes to the Optimism treasury, funding RetroPGF.
RPGF: Retroactive Public Goods Funding
RetroPGF is one of crypto's most interesting governance experiments. The Citizens House periodically distributes millions in OP to open-source projects that contributed to the Ethereum/Optimism ecosystem — based on impact, not grants applications.
Recipients have included Ethereum core developers, documentation writers, educational content creators, and infrastructure operators. Over $100M in OP has been distributed through RetroPGF rounds.
Bridging to Optimism/Base
Official bridge: app.optimism.io/bridge for OP Mainnet. bridge.base.org for Base. 7-day withdrawal to Ethereum.
Fast bridges: Across, Stargate, Hop for 1–5 minute cross-chain transfers.