TL;DR:
- Azul went live on the mainnet of Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network, marking its first independent upgrade from the Optimism Superchain.
- The multiproof system combines TEE and ZK proofs to reduce withdrawal finality to a minimum of one day and move the network closer to full decentralization.
- Base records approximately $4.4 billion in total value locked and leads USDC liquidity among optimistic rollups.
Azul marks a turning point in the trajectory of Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network. The protocol activated the upgrade on mainnet, making it its first independent improvement since the network departed from the Optimism Superchain, and achieving a new technical and strategic milestone.
At the core of Azul is its multiproof system, which combines trusted execution environment proofs —TEE— with zero-knowledge proofs, or ZK. Both types can finalize a proposal independently, but when they agree, withdrawal finality is reduced to just one day. Additionally, permissionless ZK proofs can invalidate permissioned TEE proofs in the event of a conflict, a design the Base team described as key to achieving censorship resistance and full decentralization.
Base Azul is live on Mainnet!
Some of the highlights:
Multi-proofs:
→ Introduces TEE & ZK proofs, increasing security and laying the groundwork for shorter withdrawal timesEthereum Upgrades:
→ CLZ opcode and Osaka repricingsPerformance Focused Clients:
→ New client… https://t.co/j1GZm94uoR— Base Build (@buildonbase) May 28, 2026
Azul: Maximum Efficiency and 5,000 TPS
The upgrade also unifies Base under a single execution client, base-reth-node, and incorporates base-consensus, a new consensus client built on OP Kona. According to the protocol team, the new stack has already produced a 99% reduction in empty blocks —from around 200 per day to approximately two— and sustained multiple peaks of 5,000 transactions per second.
Azul also adds the CLZ opcode and aligns Base with Ethereum’s Osaka execution layer repricing specifications, which the team says requires no significant rewrites for most application developers. Node operators using op-node, op-geth, nethermind, or kona must migrate to the new clients, according to the protocol’s technical documentation.
The upgrade reached testnet in April, preceded by an Immunefi audit competition with a pool of $250,000 for critical bugs. Base enters the Azul era as one of the largest Ethereum scaling networks: it currently records approximately $4.4 billion in total value locked and close to $4.98 billion in stablecoin market cap, leading USDC liquidity among optimistic rollups.
The protocol has two additional upgrades scheduled for the second half of the year: one focused on performance before the end of June and another centered on user experience toward the end of August.
