Base activated Azul on mainnet, introducing multiproofs and a new client stack as the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum layer 2 advances toward Stage 2 decentralization.
The upgrade's multiproof system pairs trusted execution environment, or TEE, proofs with zero-knowledge proofs to reduce centralization. Either type can finalize a proposal independently, but when both agree, the withdrawal finality can be as little as one day, Base’s team explained.
Permissionless ZK proofs can also override permissioned TEE proofs if the two conflict — a design Base says moves the chain meaningfully closer to censorship resistance and full decentralization.
Azul also consolidates Base onto a single execution client, base-reth-node, and introduces base-consensus, a new consensus client built on OP Kona. Notably, it’s the first independent upgrade Base has executed.
The network said the new client stack has already driven a roughly 99% reduction in empty blocks — from around 200 per day to approximately two — and sustained multiple bursts of 5,000 transactions per second.
