Linea represents the next evolution of ConsenSys zkEVM, powering a new generation of dapps built on Ethereum.

This morning we opened the doors of our testnet to any developer, user, or protocol, inviting the web3 community to join us in helping Ethereum scale.

To mark the moment, we are thrilled to announce that ConsenSys zkEVM is now Linea, an innovative Layer 2 (L2) on which new decentralized applications (dapps) will be built by developers and made easily accessible in MetaMask.

Linea will power a new generation of Ethereum builders, who will be able to innovate, unconstrained by the limitations of cost or scalability. Amidst the constellation of scaling solutions working to fulfill the promise of Ethereum 2.0, Linea is a through line, connecting Ethereum's past and present to its potential and future. Latin for "line," builders on Linea will find themselves on the cutting edge of what’s possible in web3, while still being able to return to the well-worn paths of ConsenSys' leading web3 infrastructure and tooling.

The progress and feedback on Linea has far surpassed our expectations. We released the specification for our zkEVM at DevCon 6 last fall, but when we launched a private testnet in January this year we could not have imagined reaching 1.5 million transactions in just the first few weeks. We are grateful for the contributions of our early partners and testers who helped us shape and prepare Linea.

ConsenSys has always worked towards building Ethereum and making web3 universally useful and accessible. In line with that spirit, we wanted to provide a seamless developer experience on a L2 network. Out of the box, Linea comes with native integrations with popular tools such as MetaMask and Truffle, so that builders can focus only on innovation.

Linea combines the power of zero-knowledge proofs with full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) equivalence, allowing builders to create scalable dapps or migrate existing ones without the hassle of changing code or rewriting smart contracts.

Our innovative prover design ensures faster transaction speeds and reduced gas costs without sacrificing security.

Linea is also designed to be approachable and highly composable, offering flexibility and scalability to developers who do not need to be an expert in zero-knowledge technology to build on a zkEVM.

We invite you to come join us in scaling Ethereum by participating in our permissionless testnet.

To streamline building on our zkEVM, Linea is now available as a default testnet option on the MetaMask extension. This will enable developers to quickly join the testnet and explore existing apps.

Our Developer Experience teams have put together tutorials, technical documentation, and quick starts to help get developers off the ground. You can stay connected with us on Twitter and in the #linea-general channel on Discord for the latest news and insights from our engineers, developers, and partners.

Keep an eye out for an invite for our upcoming community call where we will share some exciting plans for a “quest-like” voyage to explore Linea and our partner dapps.

All Ethereum participants are on a profound journey of scaling Ethereum. As ConsenSys founder, Joe Lubin, said at Paris Blockchain Week Summit last week, “The builder spark is alive in each and everyone of us.” We are proud to enable that builder spark with proper tools and support from Linea.