SoK: Bitcoin Layer Two (L2)
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In this article, we present the first Systematization of Knowledge (SoK) on constructing Layer Two (L2) solutions for Bitcoin. We carefully examine a representative subset of ongoing Bitcoin L2 solutions (40 out of 335 extensively investigated cases) and provide a concise yet impactful identification of six classic design patterns through two approaches (i.e., modifying transactions and creating proofs). Notably, we are the first to incorporate the inscription technology (emerged in mid-2023), along with a series of related innovations. We further establish a reference framework that serves as a baseline criterion ideally suited for evaluating the security aspects of Bitcoin L2 solutions, and which can also be extended to broader L2 applications. We apply this framework to evaluate each of the projects we investigated. We find that the inscription-based approaches introduce new functionality (i.e., programability) to Bitcoin systems, whereas existing proof-based solutions primarily address scalability challenges. Our security analysis reveals new attack vectors targeting data/state (availability, verification), assets (withdrawal, recovery), and users (disputes, censorship).
Date Issued
2025-02-01
Date Acceptance
2025-08-15
Citation
ACM Computing Surveys, 2025, 58 (3)
ISSN
0360-0300
Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Journal / Book Title
ACM Computing Surveys
Volume
58
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
3763232
Date Publish Online
2025-09-01