Eclipse: The perfect fusion of Ethereum and Solana

By championing the use of smart contracts and decentralized apps (DApps), the Ethereum (ETH) network has revolutionized the way we look at blockchain technology. Unfortunately, Ethereum has also suffered from performance issues, due to network congestion and its suboptimal scalability setup. Two approaches to dealing with the blockchain's performance weaknesses took off around 2020 and 2021 — one was active work on alternative blockchain networks that would deliver better scalability and throughput capacity and, in parallel with it, research and development on Ethereum-linked Layer 2 solutions.

The first approach led to the introduction of several high-performance networks, among which Solana (SOL) has stood out, thanks to its excellent throughput capacity of up to 65,000 transactions per second (TPS). In turn, the work on Layer 2 solutions resulted in numerous rollup networks, with Arbitrum (ARB) and Optimism (OP) probably the most dominant of these as of 2025. Both Solana and the leading rollups servicing Ethereum feature much lower transaction fees and higher processing capacity compared to Ethereum, the world's premier smart contract chain.

However, Solana isn't directly compatible with Ethereum to leverage the latter's vast ecosystem, while the existing rollups come with their own share of drawbacks — poor compatibility with non-Ethereum environments, inefficient data availability (DA) layers, inflexible validation of cryptographic proofs that accompany transaction data and the lack of parallelized processing.

Eclipse is an Ethereum Layer 2 network that utilizes the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) to offer a platform compatible with both Solana and Ethereum. Its SVM-powered engine, Celestia (TIA)–based DA layer and selective use of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs allow Eclipse to achieve stellar performance characteristics and address the main drawbacks of existing Layer 2 rollups.

Key Takeaways:

• Eclipse is an Ethereum Layer 2 solution that utilizes Solana's virtual machine, the SVM, to achieve high levels of scalability and throughput capacity.

• The Eclipse network uses a highly modular architecture, utilizing Ethereum for settlement, Celestia for data availability and RISC Zero for validity proofs.

• The platform operates without a native token of its own, instead using Ethereum's Ether (ETH) for gas fees and other core operations.

What is Eclipse crypto?

Eclipse is an Ethereum Layer 2 solution that uses Solana's SVM as its processing engine to achieve greater scalability and throughput capabilities than existing Layer 2 rollups. The network also leverages a modular design, outsourcing its data availability (DA) layer to Celestia. Furthermore, Eclipse employs ZK proofs in an otherwise optimistic validation environment to streamline transaction processing in cases where the standard optimistic fraud proofs are challenged. 

All of these properties allow Eclipse to achieve unparalleled performance characteristics by the standards of the Ethereum ecosystem. The platform boasts transaction fees of just $0.0002, and can theoretically scale up to 65,000 TPS, the upper limit of the SVM.

Eclipse’s network has implemented the Hyperlane cross-chain protocol, allowing it to communicate directly with the ecosystems of Solana and Ethereum. As such, it's the first Ethereum-linked rollup that features direct compatibility with the Solana chain. This allows Eclipse to potentially unify the DApp ecosystems of the two major blockchains.

The Eclipse testnet was unveiled in early 2024, and its mainnet was launched in November 2024 and operates without a native token of its own, instead using ETH for transaction fees and other operations. Founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, California, Eclipse is currently led by blockchain developer Vijay Chetty (CEO) and Ben Livshits (CTO). The project boasts an impressive list of institutional and individual investors that includes Polychain Capital and Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana.

What is the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)?

Eclipse's execution engine is based on Solana's SVM, which features several properties that make it more scalable and adaptable to heavy loads than Ethereum's native virtual machine, the EVM. The SVM can handle up to 65,000 TPS, while the realistic throughput observed on Ethereum at its Layer 1 level is no more than 15–30 TPS. 

There’s been much discussion in the industry about the EVM scaling up to hundreds of thousands of TPS, but these improvements have yet to materialize, and are mostly dependent on utilizing Layer 2 rollups linked to the main chain. A key factor contributing to the SVM's superior throughput capacity is its ability to process multiple transactions in parallel. Unlike the SVM, the EVM engine doesn't support parallelized processing.

Another feature of Eclipse’s SVM is the ability to support programming languages commonly used in the Solana ecosystem — Rust and C. Compared to Solidity, the primary programming language used in EVM environments, Rust and C offer certain advantages in terms of both performance and security.

How does Eclipse work?

Settlement

Like other Layer 2 platforms, Eclipse uses the Ethereum Layer 1 network for transaction settlement. This is where the finality and validity of transactions processed on Layer 2 are confirmed. The use of Layer 1 ensures that Eclipse takes advantage of Ethereum’s well-regarded security.

For end-users, a relevant detail of Eclipse’s settlement is the absence of any platform-specific token to pay for gas. Eclipse utilizes Ether (ETH) as its gas fee currency, and there are plans to introduce a gas fee abstraction mechanism that will let users pay transaction fees in other cryptocurrencies as well, e.g., in the USDC stablecoin.

Execution

Eclipse's execution layer is handled by its SVM. The platform uses a validating bridge to maintain a connection to Ethereum Layer 1, where the final transaction settlement occurs. We noted above that one key reason for Eclipse’s stellar throughput capacity is its SVM, which is capable of parallelized processing. 

Another essential aspect of its execution engine, also supported to a large extent by the parallelized processing, is the ability to smooth out transaction fees on the network via local fee markets, a blockchain mechanism that regulates platform-wide gas fees. Execution engines such as EVM are based on a global fee market system. On EVM-based chains, high demand from one app (e.g., minting NFTs) can drastically raise transaction fees for everyone. Eclipse’s SVM solves this problem by using local fee markets — instead of increasing fees across the entire network, only transactions related to the high-demand app are affected.

Source: eclipse.xyz

Data Availability

The DA layer is a critical part of any Layer 2 platform. It ensures that the data needed to verify transactions and execute smart contracts is publicly accessible and available for Layer 1 validators to check. Consistent with its principle of modular blockchain architecture, Eclipse outsources its DA layer to Celestia, a blockchain platform that leases its high-performance DA layer to Layer 2 networks.

Proving

In general, the Eclipse chain operates as an optimistic rollup. However, at the same time, the platform uses ZK proofs via the RISC Zero verification provider in cases where validators on Ethereum Layer 1 challenge the standard optimistic fraud proofs. The presentation of ZK validity proofs upon these challenges significantly speeds up the verification process. This combination of optimistic fraud proofs (known for being less computationally intensive than ZK proofs) and ZK proofs during validity disputes ensures that Eclipse can efficiently validate transactions.

Eclipse key features

Bridging

Eclipse offers a number of bridging solutions to facilitate the transfer of funds between the Eclipse, Ethereum and Solana blockchains. The platform's native bridge, the Eclipse Canonical Bridge, is primarily designed for the transfer of assets between Ethereum and Eclipse. Meanwhile, the Hyperlane Nexus Bridge is the main bridging solution for moving crypto funds between Eclipse, Ethereum and Solana.

Additionally, several other bridges service the Eclipse ecosystem. Some of them focus on transfers between Eclipse and Ethereum, but some can also access other blockchain environments. For instance, the Retro Bridge allows you to move assets between Eclipse and a variety of blockchain platforms, including TRON (TRX), Bitcoin (BTC) and Sui (SUI).

There's also the Hyperlane-powered Stride Bridge, which lets Eclipse users access blockchain ecosystems beyond the major ones. Using the Stride Bridge, Eclipse users can move funds from Celestia and Stride (STRD). The bridge also lists support for network transfers from the Forma blockchain and Ethereum. However, as of the time of this writing on Mar 17, 2025, transfers from these two chains to Eclipse aren’t yet supported.

tETH

tETH is a unified restaking token (URT) launched by Eclipse in partnership with the Nucleus yield generation services provider. It allows users to earn rewards from multiple Ethereum yield-generating protocols. By minting tETH through deposits of eligible liquid restaking tokens (LRTs), users can benefit from diversified risk and reward exposure, with periodic yield increases and the option for redemption at full value on Ethereum or Eclipse.

There are currently six eligible LRTs that can be used to mint tETH — Wrapped ETH (WETH), ether.fi’s weETH, Renzo Protocol’s ezETH, Swell Network’s rswETH, Dinero’s apxETH and Puffer Finance’s pufETH.

Eclipse Turbo Tap

Turbo Tap is an Eclipse community-driven game in which users grow "grass" by tapping or bridging assets to Eclipse. By completing app-based boosts, users can increase their grass growth rate. The goal is to feed Turbo, an ever-hungry cow, by maximizing grass growth through bridging various assets like ETH, SOL, TIA and popular stablecoins USDT and USDC. Solana-based tokens, such as ezSOL, JitoSOL and kySOL, can also be used to grow grass within the game.

Source: eclipse.xyz

How to get Grass on Bybit Web3

Besides playing the Turbo Tap game, you can also earn Grass via Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade. To earn a share of the total 15 million Grass prize pool, you need to complete a series of tasks — follow Eclipse on X, visit Eclipse’s website, explore its app ecosystem and swap $10 worth of crypto via Umbra, a privacy-focused Ethereum payment protocol. This campaign is valid until Mar 28, 2025, 7AM UTC.

Closing thoughts

The Eclipse team has come up with something unique within the wider EVM ecosystem: the ability to use Solana's high-performance execution engine adapted for Ethereum, the SVM. It offers numerous advantages over the EVM, including executing transactions in parallel and leveraging local fee markets. At the same time, while the SVM forms the backbone of transaction processing on the chain, Eclipse aims to remain within its general rollup-centric road map, operating primarily as an Ethereum rollup network. 

Besides integrating the SVM into its largely Ethereum-focused platform, Eclipse leverages modular architecture principles, outsourcing its DA layer to Celestia, one of the leading providers of DA services in the web3 industry. All of these architectural choices have resulted in a Layer 2 chain that clearly stands out for its performance in the competitive world of Ethereum rollup solutions.

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