Base activated Azul on mainnet, introducing multiproofs and a new client stack as the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum layer 2 advances toward Stage 2 decentralization.
The upgrade's multiproof system pairs trusted execution environment, or TEE, proofs with zero-knowledge proofs to reduce centralization. Either type can finalize a proposal independently, but when both agree, the withdrawal finality can be as little as one day, Base’s team explained.
Permissionless ZK proofs can also override permissioned TEE proofs if the two conflict — a design Base says moves the chain meaningfully closer to censorship resistance and full decentralization.
Azul also consolidates Base onto a single execution client, base-reth-node, and introduces base-consensus, a new consensus client built on OP Kona. Notably, it’s the first independent upgrade Base has executed.
The network said the new client stack has already driven a roughly 99% reduction in empty blocks — from around 200 per day to approximately two — and sustained multiple bursts of 5,000 transactions per second.
The upgrade also adds the CLZ opcode and aligns Base with Ethereum's Osaka execution-layer repricing specs, which Base said requires no major rewrites for most application developers. Node operators running op-node, op-geth, nethermind, or kona must migrate to the new clients, per the protocol's technical documentation.
As reported by The Block, Azul was first launched on testnet in April ahead of the planned May 13 mainnet activation, with an Immunefi audit competition running through May 4 carrying a maximum $250,000 reward pool for critical bugs.
Base enters the Azul era as one of the largest Ethereum scaling networks by deposits.
According to The Block's data, Base held approximately $4.4 billion in total value locked as of late May, with roughly $4.98 billion in stablecoin market cap, which makes it the leading destination for USDC liquidity among optimistic rollups.
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Base has two additional upgrades planned for the second half of the year: a performance-focused release by the end of June and a user-experience-focused update around the end of August, with native account abstraction on the roadmap.
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