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Celestia

By leveraging Celestia's data availability (DA) capabilities, Neva delivers an exceptionally fast infrastructure at a fraction of the expense associated with monolithic Layer 2 (L2) solutions. Celestia uses advanced data availability sampling techniques, including two-dimensional Reed-Solomon coding and Namespaced Merkle Trees (NMTs), to address L2 data availability challenges. By utilizing Celestia as the DA layer, Neva significantly reduces transaction costs for users.

Concept:

To understand Celestia, it's essential to delve into Modular Blockchain first. Modular blockchains aim for more efficient scalability by breaking down various blockchain functions into separate layers. These modular layers can be customized and tailored to specific functions, offering a more adaptable and robust system compared to traditional monolithic designs.

Celestia, specifically, serves as a modular blockchain specializing in providing consensus and data availability for other chains.

Data availability, within Celestia's context, refers to ensuring that information on the blockchain ledger is visible and accessible to all. Celestia's DA layer introduces critical features, including data availability sampling (DAS) and Namespaced Merkle Trees (NMTs).

Data availability sampling (DAS) enables lightweight nodes to verify data availability without downloading the entire block. It involves these nodes performing multiple rounds of random checks on small block data portions. As they complete more rounds, they gain confidence in data presence. Once a node reaches a certain confidence threshold (e.g., 99%), it considers the block data available. This empowers light nodes to enhance network security and speed while using more cost-effective hardware than full nodes.

Namespaced Merkle trees partition the ledger into distinct sections tailored for different applications. Each application focuses solely on its designated section, streamlining the ledger and allowing applications to download only necessary data.

Pratical use:

Neva integrates Celestia's modular DA to achieve data scaling, drastically reducing gas fees for users engaging with dApps within its ecosystem. While Neva currently settles via calldata on Ethereum, which incurs linear gas fees, Celestia's cost is sublinear to Ethereum gas prices, promising significantly lower expenses. Even with proposed gas cost reductions via EIP-4844 on Ethereum, Celestia remains more cost-effective, addressing emerging blockspace concerns effectively.

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