Base Chain
Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network built on the OP Stack, optimized for on-chain applications and developer accessibility.
What is Base Chain?
Base Chain, launched in August 2023, is an optimistic rollup processing 100 million monthly transactions at sub-cent fees, leveraging Coinbase’s infrastructure for 99.9% uptime. It supports seamless bridging of $5 billion in assets from Ethereum.
As part of the OP Superchain, Base hosts 1,000+ dApps, including Aerodrome for DEX trading with $1.2 billion TVL, and explores a native token for governance. Its focus on low-cost on-ramps has driven 20% of Ethereum’s L2 activity in 2025.
Related Terms
UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output)
UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output), a record of unspent Bitcoin used for on-chain analysis to track fund flows, ownership patterns, and network activity.
Liquid Staking
A staking mechanism on Ethereum where users receive derivative tokens representing their staked ETH, allowing them to use these tokens in DeFi activities while earning staking rewards.
Open Market Operations (OMO)
The Federal Reserve's buying and selling of government securities in the open market to adjust the supply of reserves and influence interest rates.
Payment Rails
Infrastructure for processing and settling digital asset transactions.
Perpetual Futures
Also called Perpetual Swap, a derivative contract on a Perp DEX allowing traders to speculate on digital asset prices without an expiration date.
Liquidation
The process in DeFi where assets from an under-collateralized loan are sold to repay the borrowed amount, typically triggered automatically by smart contracts when collateral value falls below a required threshold.