# Comparison with Other Rollups

## The Fundamental Difference: Stoppability

All rollups today except Facet can be stopped by a small group of people:

| Rollup                                                           | Who Can Stop It      |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, zkSync, Polygon zkEVM, Taiko, etc.** | <20 multisig signers |
| **Facet**                                                        | No one               |

This single fact drives every other architectural decision.

## Critical Control Points

| Component             | Traditional Rollups             | Facet                             |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Can be halted by**  | <20 keys                        | No one                            |
| **Forced inclusion**  | Can be disabled                 | Always on                         |
| **Gas token**         | Admin-controlled bridge         | Native & permissionless           |
| **Protocol control**  | Smart contracts with admin keys | No contracts control the protocol |
| **Emergency powers**  | Guardians can intervene         | No emergency mechanism exists     |
| **Protocol upgrades** | Forced by admins                | User choice via forks             |

Traditional rollups have smart contracts that control the protocol. These contracts have admin keys. Facet has no controlling contracts—just an immutable L1 address.

## Proof Systems: Best of Both Worlds

Traditional rollups chose one extreme. Facet combines the best of both worlds.

| Approach                    | How It Works                         | Weaknesses                                                   |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Optimistic (Arbitrum)**   | Assume honesty, 7-day disputes       | Slow resolution, requires watchers, complex escalating bonds |
| **Validity/ZK (zkSync)**    | Prove every transaction              | Expensive even when everyone's honest                        |
| **ZK Fault Proofs (Facet)** | Optimistic normally, ZK for disputes | None—combines both strengths                                 |

Facet's approach:

* **Normal operation:** No proofs needed (like optimistic)
* **Disputes:** Single ZK proof resolves instantly (like validity)
* **Result:** Free when honest, fast when disputed

## Time to Finality

Facet is a based rollup.

| Stage                        | Traditional Non-Based Rollups      | Facet                               |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **User submits transaction** | Goes to centralized sequencer      | Goes to Ethereum (`0xface7`)        |
| **Soft confirmation**        | \~2 seconds from sequencer         | N/A - no sequencer                  |
| **Posted to L1**             | Minutes to hours later\*           | Immediate (it IS an L1 transaction) |
| **Actually final**           | When L1 tx with batch is finalized | \~15 minutes (Ethereum finality)    |

\*Sequencers batch transactions to save costs, creating delays

## Real Examples of Rollups Being Stopped

* **Linea:** Stopped chain to freeze hacker funds
* **Blast:** Disabled forced inclusion to censor addresses
* **Soneium:** Blocked memecoin trading

## The Exit Window Myth

"Stage 2" rollups claim safety through exit windows, but three problems make them ineffective:

**1. Prohibitive exit costs**

* Mass exit from any major L2 would cost hundreds of millions in L1 gas
* Attackers can trigger exits cheaply while users pay the price

**2. Locked assets can't exit**

* Vesting contracts, staking pools, and DeFi positions have their own timeframes
* A 30-day exit window doesn't help if your assets are locked for 90 days

**3. L2-native assets have nowhere to go**

* Tokens created on L2 have no L1 representation
* Complex financial positions can't be "moved" to L1

Result: Exit windows create a false sense of security while leaving most users vulnerable.

## Summary

Traditional rollups optimize for the happy path—when sequencers are honest, admins are benevolent, and no one needs to exit.

Facet optimizes for reality—where companies get subpoenaed, multisigs get compromised, and infrastructure must work without trust.

The choice is simple: Accept admin control or build on truly unstoppable infrastructure.


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