Wield L2 - the first Farcaster Layer 2

Wield L2 is the first and largest Farcaster Layer 2 that allows users to submit Farcaster messages directly to an open-source superhub - bypassing onchain storage fees or Farcaster ID fee requirements. Wield L2 has already done millions of messages external to the Farcaster network. Wield L2 APIs also supports directly submitting messages to Farcaster through a hosted hub if a user so chooses, making our APIs L1 + L2 agnostic. Farcaster IDs also function directly on Wield L2, a perfect usecase for users with expired storage, who want to reach a different audience, or during widescale Farcaster network outages.

Wield L2 allows the opportunity for more protocol exploration, as anyone can fork an open-source repo and add new MessageTypes or other open-ended experimentation (e.g. gaming on Farcaster). Wield can also function independently during Farcaster network outages (e.g. during February 2024).

Social protocol L2s are an unexplored territory, so the evolution of Wield L2 will be necessary - we will explore ways to checkpoint or transmit Wield L2 activity onto the Farcaster L1. The Farcaster L1 already deletes data through storage constraints and expiry, making proving data from the correct wallet and signer a more important constaint.

We hope Wield L2 encourages many more experiments on the Farcaster ecosystem. Given varying degrees of disposable income globally, a major goal of far.quest was getting both international and curious users to try Farcaster without spending a large upfront fee on something they might immediately churn on. We believe for social networks, frictionless growth should be prioritized, and we want to help many users to transition to the Farcaster L1. A Farcaster L2 like Wield L2 will help proliferate Farcaster.

Get started today by building with our free, open-source Farcaster L1 + L2 APIs!

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