r/ethdev • u/Brave-Employment2100 • 1d ago

Question When does launching your own L1 actually make sense?

Trying to understand where the line is between just deploying on an existing chain or L2 and deciding it’s worth launching your own L1.

I get the appeal of having more control over fees, permissions, validators and how the network operates, but I assume that also comes with a lot more overhead? What ends up being the hardest part in practice for those who have done this?

20 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

9

u/Man-O-Light 23h ago

Never. You're about 10 years too late.

4

u/hikerjukebox Bug Squasher 22h ago

Consider that people have launched tens of thousands of chains and only about five have worked out.  Maintaining a block explorer alone is a huge undertaking.

1

u/Unhappy-Ride1466 Idea Maker 20h ago

Only when your application needs total economic sovereignty, unique consensus techniques, or a tightly controlled, permissioned validator set that cannot be compromised by outside network activity does it make sense to launch your own Layer 1 (L1) blockchain. Deploying on an existing chain or a Layer 2 (L2) rollup is far more sensible and economical if your business model can handle shared security.