Polygon PoS ¹

What is Polygon PoS?

The original Polygon chain that kickstarted L2 adoption — now a mature sidechain transitioning to become a zkEVM validium. Still processes massive volume with ultra-low fees, but unlike true L2s, security depends on validators not Ethereum proofs. Planning to join AggLayer as a ZK chain.

Best for: High-volume, low-value transactions, NFT minting, GameFi, apps needing sub-cent fees over maximum security.

Technical: An EVM-compatible proof-of-stake sidechain optimized for low fees, high throughput, and broad dApp deployment.

• Consensus & Finality

  • Validators stake POL (formerly MATIC) to secure the network, ~100+ active validators.
  • Fast block times (~2 seconds) with checkpoints to Ethereum every ~30 minutes.
  • Not a rollup — security depends on validator honesty, not Ethereum proofs.

• Infra & Execution

  • No fraud or validity proofs; state is secured by periodic checkpoints submitted to Ethereum.
  • Runs on a hybrid system using Tendermint-based consensus and Ethereum-like execution.

• Use Cases

  • NFT ecosystem: OpenSea, Reddit Collectibles, major gaming NFTs
  • DeFi: Aave, QuickSwap, Balancer with deep liquidity
  • Future: Transitioning to zkEVM validium to join AggLayer with ZK security

• Trade-offs

  • No rollup-grade security — lacks fraud or zk-proof guarantees.
  • Validator collusion is possible; exit security relies on checkpointing regularity and honesty.
  • Governance and upgrades are team-led — not fully decentralized.
  • DA and sequencing are not trust-minimized — no fallback if validators fail.

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