Caldera operates as an Ethereum-based rollup platform focused on horizontal scaling and interoperability among rollups. Rather than enhancing a single chain, it empowers projects to deploy tailored rollups that retain Ethereum’s decentralization and security guarantees.

Central to its design is the Metalayer, a unifying infrastructure intended to link rollups built on both Optimistic and Zero-Knowledge (ZK) frameworks. This layer supports coordination, communication, and resource sharing without compromising the unique characteristics of individual rollups.

The native utility and governance token, $ERA, serves several functions:

• Covering transaction fees for cross-rollup activities within the Metalayer.
• Staking by validator nodes active in the network.
• Participating in governance votes regarding protocol updates and treasury distribution.

Notable features include:

• Rollup Engine: Allows deployment of rollups without needing an in-house engineering team.
• Message Passing & Relaying: Enables efficient transfer of assets and data across rollups.
• Fast Finality & Preconfirmations: Enhances both transaction speed and security.
• Guardian Nodes: Adds extra layers of security and decentralization to rollups.
• Native Yield: Facilitates economic sustainability and ecosystem incentives.

Constellation Labs, a blockchain R&D group specializing in Ethereum scaling, developed Caldera. Its team comprises protocol designers and engineers with Web3 infrastructure backgrounds. Matthew Katz serves as CEO and co-founder, while Parker Jou is the CTO and co-founder.

Since its 2023 launch, Caldera has supported over 60 rollups, handled more than 400 million transactions, and secured $500 million in Total Value Locked (TVL).

Projects utilizing Caldera’s rollup infrastructure include:

• Manta Pacific
• inEVM by Injective
• ApeChain
• Treasure
• Plume Network
• Kinto
• RARI Chain
• Zero Network by Zerion