What Is the “Data Availability Problem” in L2 Scaling?

The Data Availability (DA) Problem is the challenge of ensuring that all the data required to verify the correctness of a Layer 2 (L2) transaction batch is published to the Layer 1 (L1) blockchain. If the L2 operator withholds this data, users cannot reconstruct the L2 state or submit fraud proofs, compromising the security of the L2.

L2s must post data to L1 to solve this.

What Are ‘Rollups’ (Optimistic and ZK) and How Do They Use Batching?
What Are the Key Differences between zk-SNARKs and zk-STARKs?
What Is the Primary Difference between Optimistic Rollups and ZK-Rollups?
What Is the Security Trade-off Associated with the Challenge Period in Optimistic Rollups?
What Is the Fundamental Difference between Optimistic Rollups and ZK-Rollups?
What Is the “Data Availability” Problem in the Context of Layer 2 Scaling?
Differentiate between Optimistic Rollups and ZK-Rollups
How Does ‘Data Availability’ Relate to the Security of Both Sharding and Layer 2 Rollups?

Glossar