Mantle, an emerging network in Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem, has recently seen a surge in throughput, largely driven by inscription activity. This surge highlights the growing interest and impact of inscriptions across various Layer 2 networks.

Mantle’s Record Throughput and Inscription Impact

Mantle’s throughput skyrocketed to 14 TPS on December 20, briefly surpassing Ethereum’s average of 14.4 TPS. This peak, reaching an intraday high of 200 TPS, was primarily due to a surge in inscription-related transactions. Despite this high activity, Mantle maintained operational stability across its sequencer, data availability (DA) layers, and explorers. However, this increased activity was short-lived, with throughput plummeting to 3 TPS the following day.

Expanding Popularity of Inscriptions

Inscriptions, initially popularized on Bitcoin, have spread to Ethereum-compatible networks. They offer an alternative to traditional NFTs by inscribing data onto the smallest units of a network’s token. This method bypasses the need for smart contracts, potentially reducing transaction fees. However, the popularity of inscriptions has led to significant spikes in transaction fees and network congestion on platforms like Near, Fantom, Polygon, and others.

Layer 2 Networks Under Stress

The rush to mint inscription tokens has put considerable strain on Layer 2 networks. Both ZkSync Era and Arbitrum experienced outages due to high inscription activity, reaching daily throughput records of 62 TPS and 59 TPS, respectively. These networks have since released post-mortems, detailing the challenges faced and measures taken to stabilize their platforms.

The Future of Layer 2 and Inscriptions

As Layer 2 networks like Mantle continue to evolve and adapt to new trends like inscriptions, the Ethereum ecosystem witnesses a dynamic shift in how transactions are processed and valued. The growing popularity of inscriptions could lead to further innovations and developments in blockchain technology and network scalability.