Coinbase’s Base Mainnet Launches for Builders, Public User Onboarding in August

The layer-2 mainnet of Base has been launched, enabling developers to deploy contracts, while users will be able to join the network in August.
According to a blog post on July 13 by Coinbase’s Base development team, the network is now open to builders before its public launch, allowing for more time to onboard users. The team also announced that the network will be publicly launched in August.
Coinbase introduced the Base network on February 23, describing it as a layer-2 solution for Ethereum that utilizes the OP Stack software used by Optimism. This announcement was well-received by the Ethereum community, who viewed it as a vote of confidence in Ethereum.
In their July 13 announcement, the team revealed that the Base mainnet currently has two operational block explorers and an official RPC node for reading data and transmitting transactions. Data from these block explorers indicate that the network has been active since July 2 and has processed over 1 million transactions.
Blockchain data confirm that an official “OptimismPortal” or Base bridge contract has been deployed to Ethereum. This contract enables developers to transfer Ether (ETH) to the new network for paying gas fees. However, the bridge currently lacks a web-based user interface, so its functions can only be accessed through a command-line interface or by running scripts.
During the initial “builder” phase, the team mentioned that a publicly available bridge UI will not be provided. This feature is being reserved for the upcoming public launch, and developers have been advised not to launch UIs for their own applications until then.
To commemorate the occasion, the team is allowing builders to mint a commemorative nonfungible token (NFT) called “Base is for builders.” Additionally, developers who deploy their contracts to the network and complete a form on the project’s website will receive a “Genesis Builder NFT” as a giveaway.
Optimism Labs, the creator of the OP Stack, has stated that Base and Optimism will eventually form a “Superchain,” a network composed of multiple networks that share the same security features. However, they may face competition from zkSync’s “Hyperchains,” which aim to offer similar features as the Superchain.

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