Beginner's Guide to Navigating the Multichain World

The blockchain industry has grown far beyond its early days when Bitcoin and Ethereum were the dominant networks where most transaction activity takes place. Today, we live in a multichain world with hundreds of blockchains, each offering unique features and use cases.

📊 As of now, DefiLlama, a leading DeFi analytics platform, tracks 369 blockchain networks—a number that keeps growing!

New blockchains are developed to address specific challenges in scalability, security, and user experience. But with so many options, where do you start? This guide will help you:

• Understand Ethereum, L2s, and beyond
• Find the right tools to interact with the multichain ecosystem
• Start exploring the multichain ecosystem

1) Ethereum, L2s, and Beyond

Ethereum has taken a rollup-centric approach to scaling, meaning most of its growth comes from Layer 2 networks (L2s) that process transactions offchain while inheriting Ethereum’s security.

📊 According to L2BEAT, there are currently 151 Ethereum L2s, with 104 more projects under review.

Ethereum L2s typically follow 4 scaling approaches, each differing in how they store data and handle security:

• ZK Rollups (Validity proofs + Ethereum data storage)
  • Posts data to Ethereum for security
  • Uses cryptographic proofs to ensure validity
  • Examples: ZKsync Era, Linea, Scroll
• Optimistic Rollups (Fraud proofs + Ethereum data storage)
  • Assumes transactions are valid unless proven otherwise
  • Users can challenge fraudulent transactions
  • Examples: Arbitrum One, Base, OP Mainnet
• Validiums (Validity proofs + External data storage)
  • Similar to ZK rollups, but data is stored off Ethereum
  • Requires extra trust assumptions
  • Examples: Sophon
• Optimiums (Fraud proofs + External data storage)
  • Similar to Optimistic rollups, but data is stored externally
  • Requires more trust assumptions
  • Examples: Mantle, Fraxtal, Arbitrum Nova

🚦 L2 Maturity Stages: Most L2s start with centralized control (Stage 0) but aim to become trust-minimized (Stage 2) by fully inheriting Ethereum’s security.

💡 Why Does This Matter?

Security is crucial when choosing an L2. A failure or hack could put your funds at risk. Ethereum’s roadmap prioritizes trust-minimized solutions, but factors like fees, speed, and ecosystem support also influence where to interact.

Other Layer 1 Blockchains

L1 blockchains operate independently from Ethereum, managing their own consensus, transaction validation, and data availability. Each has its own trade-offs:

• Bitcoin: Proof of Work consensus mechanism, secure, & decentralized but has no smart contract functionalities
• Solana: Proof of History consensus mechanism with fast & cheap transactions
• Berachain: Proof of Liquidity consensus mechanism, EVM-compatible, and a tri-token system
• Aptos: AptosBFT consensus mechanism with parallel execution for quick transactions

2) Essential Tools for the Multichain Ecosystem

With so many L1s & L2s, how do you interact with them? These tools help you move seamlessly across multiple chains:

i. Multichain Wallets

A crypto wallet lets you store, send, and receive assets on different blockchains. Popular choices include:

• MetaMask → Ethereum & EVM-compatible chains, now supports Solana & Bitcoin
• Rabby → Supports 102+ chains with better security features & a user-friendly interface
• Trust Wallet → Mobile-friendly, supports 100+ blockchains

ii. Bridges for Cross-Chain Transfers

Bridges allow secure asset transfers between blockchains.

• Orbiter Finance → Enables cross-rollup transactions of Ethereum/Bitcoin native assets in a trustless and seamless manner
• Jumper Exchange → Decentralized exchange for users to swap and bridge tokens across various blockchains, including Bitcoin, EVM, and Solana
• Hyperlane → Enables asset transfers across different chains without relying on centralized intermediaries or requiring any permissions

iii. Multichain Explorers

Check balances and transactions across multiple chains:

• Blockscan
• Debank

iv. Analytics Dashboards

Analyze and compare different chains:

• DefiLlama → Total Value Locked (TVL) tracker
  • Find which chains have the most liquidity and where funds are flowing
  • Example: Compare lending protocols with highest TVL before depositing assets
• L2BEAT → Ethereum L2 security & adoption insights
  • Example: Check which network has lower security risks and fees before bridging funds
• Growthepie → Tracks economic activity & revenue across Ethereum L2s
  • Example: Assess a chain's sustainability before deploying an app or investing in its ecosystem

3) Exploring the Multichain Ecosystem

i. Discovering an Ecosystem

Kickstart your multichain journey by exploring ecosystem pages for different networks:

Here are some handy ecosystem pages you can explore on your own:

Ethereum & L2s

Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Arbitrum Nova, Base, Celo, Frax, Linea, Mantle, OP Mainnet, Polygon zkEVM, Scroll, Taiko, ZKsync Era, Xai, Apechain, Sophon, Unichain, World Chain, Abstract, Swell Chain

Other L1s

BNB Chain, BTTC, Cronos, Gnosis, Moonbeam, Moonriver, Polygon PoS, Avalanche, Wemix, XDC, Sonic, Berachain, Monad, MemeCore

ii. Checking Your Portfolio & Transactions

Often, when interacting with multiple applications across different chains, it can be difficult to juggle various explorers to track your wallet balances and transactions.

For example, performing a cross-chain swap from Base to Ethereum while keeping both BaseScan and Etherscan open can be tedious.

Instead of manually searching for your address on multiple explorers, tools like Blockscan provide a consolidated summary of your assets and transactions, filtered by the chains you want to see.

If you need more details on a specific transaction, you can always view it on the full explorer.

iii. Multichain Instances of Apps & Tokens

You can find instances of apps like Uniswap, Aave, and Curve Finance deployed across multiple blockchains. To check which chains they support and locate their contract addresses, simply refer to their official documentation.

The same applies to tokens—whether bridged or natively deployed on multiple chains, you can verify their details in the respective project docs.

For example, Ethena clearly lists the multichain contract addresses for its tokens ENA, USDe, and sUSDe in its documentation:

Final Thoughts

The multichain ecosystem offers more opportunities than ever, enabling users to access diverse applications, lower fees, and innovative blockchain solutions. Whether you're exploring Ethereum's L2s or alternative L1s, understanding the available tools—wallets, bridges, explorers, and analytics platforms—can help you navigate this space with confidence.

As blockchain adoption grows, staying informed and experimenting with different networks will unlock new possibilities. The key is to start with the basics, use trusted resources, and explore the multichain world at your own pace.