A shared security model is a blockchain architecture where a primary, high-security blockchain (often called a Layer 1 or security provider) provides its consensus and cryptographic security guarantees to multiple secondary chains or applications (often called Layer 2s, rollups, or parachains). This model allows the dependent chains to inherit the Byzantine Fault Tolerance and data availability assurances of the provider chain without needing to bootstrap their own, often costly, validator set. It is a core innovation enabling blockchain scalability and interoperability while maintaining robust security.
LABS
Glossary
Shared Security Model
A Shared Security Model is a framework where multiple blockchains, rollups, or DAOs contribute to or rely on a common pool of economic security, such as pooled staking assets, to protect their respective ecosystems.
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definition
BLOCKCHAIN ARCHITECTURE
What is a Shared Security Model?
A foundational concept in modular blockchain design where a primary blockchain provides security for multiple dependent chains.
The model operates by having the security provider's validators or miners directly validate or verify the state transitions of the connected chains. In proof-of-stake systems like Cosmos and Polkadot, this often involves validators staking the native token of the provider chain to secure the entire network of connected chains. For optimistic rollups and zk-rollups on Ethereum, security is shared by posting transaction data and state commitments to the Ethereum mainnet, where they are secured by Ethereum's global validator set. This creates a security-as-a-service economy where new chains can "rent" established security rather than building it from scratch.
Key benefits of shared security include capital efficiency, as security costs are amortized across many chains, and stronger security guarantees for new projects that would otherwise start with a small, potentially vulnerable validator set. It also reduces fragmentation, as users and developers can interact with multiple applications underpinned by the same trust assumptions. The primary trade-off is a degree of sovereignty; dependent chains often cede some control over their consensus and upgrade processes to the security provider's governance.
Prominent implementations of shared security models include Ethereum's rollup-centric roadmap, where L2s inherit security from Ethereum; Polkadot's parachains, which are secured by the Relay Chain's nominated proof-of-stake consensus; and Cosmos' Interchain Security, which allows a consumer chain to leverage the validator set of a provider chain. Each system varies in its technical implementation, governing the degree of coupling between the security provider and the consumer chains.
how-it-works
BLOCKCHAIN ARCHITECTURE
How a Shared Security Model Works
An explanation of the architectural paradigm where multiple independent blockchains pool their security resources, creating a more robust and efficient network ecosystem.
A shared security model is a blockchain architecture where a primary, highly secure blockchain (the provider chain) leases its consensus security and validator set to multiple secondary chains (the consumer chains). This allows newer or specialized blockchains to inherit the battle-tested security of an established network, such as Ethereum or Cosmos Hub, without needing to bootstrap their own decentralized validator community from scratch. The model fundamentally shifts security from a per-chain cost to a pooled, reusable resource across an ecosystem.
The mechanism typically relies on a cryptoeconomic bond. Validators on the provider chain stake its native token (e.g., ATOM on Cosmos Hub, ETH on Ethereum via restaking) and are then obligated to validate the state transitions of the connected consumer chains. Malicious actions on a consumer chain, such as finalizing invalid blocks, can result in the slashing of the validator's stake on the provider chain. This creates a powerful economic disincentive that secures the entire interconnected network.
Prominent implementations include Cosmos Interchain Security, where the Cosmos Hub validators produce blocks for consumer chains, and Ethereum's restaking ecosystems like EigenLayer, where staked ETH can be "restaked" to secure actively validated services (AVSs) including new blockchains. Polkadot's parachain model also employs a form of shared security, where all parachains are secured by the collective validator set of the Relay Chain.
The primary advantage is security scalability. Consumer chains gain immediate, high-grade security, allowing developers to focus on application logic and innovation. For the provider chain and its validators, it creates new revenue streams from securing additional services. However, the model introduces complex interdependencies; a critical bug or coordinated attack on the provider chain could cascade to all consumer chains, creating systemic risk that must be carefully managed.
key-features
MODEL ARCHITECTURE
Key Features of Shared Security
Shared Security is a blockchain design paradigm where a primary chain (the security provider) validates and secures the operations of multiple secondary chains (the security consumers). This section details its core architectural components and economic guarantees.
01
Security-as-a-Service
The foundational principle where a high-security blockchain (like Ethereum or Cosmos Hub) leases its consensus and cryptoeconomic security to other chains. Consumer chains do not need to bootstrap their own validator set; they inherit the liveness and finality guarantees of the provider's established network. This is analogous to renting computing infrastructure from a cloud provider.
02
Unified Validator Set
A single set of validators is responsible for producing and validating blocks across all secured chains. This eliminates the security fragmentation seen in isolated networks. Validators run additional software for each consumer chain but stake their tokens on the primary chain, meaning slashing penalties for misbehavior apply to their entire stake, creating a powerful economic disincentive.
03
Economic Finality & Slashing
Security is enforced through cryptoeconomic penalties. If validators act maliciously (e.g., double-signing) on any secured chain, they can be slashed—a portion of their staked assets on the primary chain is burned. This creates a cost-of-corruption that must exceed any potential profit from an attack, making coordinated attacks economically irrational.
04
Sovereignty & Interoperability
Consumer chains maintain sovereignty over their application logic, governance, and fee markets while outsourcing consensus. This enables interoperability through a trusted relay, as all chains share a common security root. Messages (like cross-chain assets or data) can be passed with the assurance they are backed by the same validator set.
05
Examples in Practice
- Ethereum Rollups (L2s): Secured by Ethereum's consensus via proofs posted to L1.
- Cosmos Interchain Security: The Cosmos Hub validators produce blocks for consumer chains.
- Polkadot Parachains: Share the security of the Polkadot Relay Chain via nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS).
06
Contrast with Isolated Chains
Contrasts with traditional sovereign chains (e.g., standalone PoS networks) that must recruit and incentivize their own validator set. Isolated chains face the bootstrapping problem—low initial stake makes them vulnerable to attacks—and security fragmentation, where value and security are siloed across many small networks.
examples
SHARED SECURITY MODEL
Examples & Implementations
The shared security model is implemented through various mechanisms, from direct validator staking to delegated security layers. Here are the primary architectural approaches.
benefits
SHARED SECURITY MODEL
Benefits and Advantages
The shared security model is a foundational blockchain design pattern where a primary, robust chain (the security provider) provides cryptoeconomic security to one or more dependent chains (the security consumers). This enables new networks to launch with strong security guarantees without needing to bootstrap their own validator set.
01
Instant Security Bootstrapping
New blockchains (app-chains, rollups, parachains) can launch with enterprise-grade security from day one. This eliminates the bootstrapping problem, where a new network is vulnerable until its native token gains sufficient value and its validator set becomes decentralized and expensive to attack. Projects can focus on innovation rather than recruiting and incentivizing a large, independent validator set.
02
Capital Efficiency for Validators
Validators on the security-providing chain can re-stake their capital to secure multiple consumer chains simultaneously. This increases the utility and potential yield of their staked assets (e.g., ETH, DOT, ATOM) without requiring additional capital commitment. This creates a powerful, reusable economic base for the entire ecosystem.
03
Enhanced Interoperability & Composability
Chains secured by a common provider naturally inherit a trust-minimized bridge to each other. Transactions and messages can be passed between them with the same security assumptions as transactions within a single chain. This enables seamless cross-chain composability of assets and applications, forming a cohesive interoperable ecosystem rather than isolated silos.
04
Reduced Consensus & Validation Overhead
Consumer chains offload the complex and resource-intensive tasks of consensus and settlement to the provider chain. Their nodes only need to execute transactions and produce blocks, not run a full consensus protocol. This dramatically lowers the hardware and operational requirements for node operators, promoting greater decentralization and participation.
05
Economic Security as a Service
The model commoditizes cryptoeconomic security. Consumer chains "rent" security by paying fees (e.g., via transaction fees or lease auctions) to the provider chain's validators. This creates a clear, sustainable economic relationship and allows security costs to scale with usage, unlike the fixed cost of maintaining an independent Proof-of-Work mining operation or Proof-of-Stake validator set.
06
Architectural Examples
- Cosmos Interchain Security: The Cosmos Hub validators produce blocks for consumer chains, sharing slashing penalties.
- Polkadot Parachains: Parachains lease a slot on the Relay Chain, which provides shared consensus and validity guarantees.
- Ethereum Rollups: Optimistic Rollups and ZK-Rollups derive their ultimate security from Ethereum L1 by posting transaction data and proofs for verification and dispute resolution.
security-considerations
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS & RISKS
Shared Security Model
A Shared Security Model is a blockchain architecture where a primary network (or hub) provides its economic security and consensus to multiple secondary networks (or zones), allowing them to operate with reduced independent validator requirements.
01
Core Principle: Security as a Service
The model allows new blockchains, known as consumer chains or parachains, to lease security from a well-established provider chain (e.g., Cosmos Hub, Polkadot Relay Chain). This eliminates the need for each new chain to bootstrap its own validator set and stake, a process known as the bootstrapping problem. Security is pooled and provided as a service.
02
Key Mechanism: Economic Bonding
Security is enforced through economic bonding (staking) on the provider chain. Validators of the provider chain are responsible for producing blocks and validating state transitions for the secured chains. Malicious actions on a consumer chain can lead to slashing of the validator's stake on the provider chain, creating a strong economic disincentive for misbehavior.
03
Primary Benefit: Reduced Overhead
- Capital Efficiency: Projects avoid the high cost of attracting and incentivizing a large, independent validator set.
- Faster Launch: Chains can launch immediately with robust security.
- Developer Focus: Teams can concentrate on application logic rather than consensus mechanics.
04
Central Risk: Systemic Dependency
The security of all consumer chains is intrinsically tied to the health of the single provider chain. A critical consensus failure, governance attack, or significant validator collusion on the provider chain compromises every chain in its ecosystem. This creates a single point of failure and potential for systemic risk.
05
Risk: Economic Misalignment
Validators secure the provider chain for its native token rewards. Their economic incentive to act honestly for a small consumer chain's token may be weak if its value is low, a scenario known as asymmetric stake. This can lead to lazy validation, where validators perform minimal checks, increasing the risk of undetected faults.
06
Example Architectures
- Polkadot: The Relay Chain provides shared security to parachains via nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) and cross-chain message passing (XCMP).
- Cosmos: The Interchain Security feature allows the Cosmos Hub validator set to produce blocks for consumer chains.
- EigenLayer: Ethereum restakers provide cryptoeconomic security to a variety of Actively Validated Services (AVSs).
SECURITY MODEL ARCHITECTURES
Comparison: Isolated vs. Shared Security
A comparison of two fundamental approaches to securing independent blockchains or execution layers.
| Core Feature | Isolated Security (Sovereign Chains) | Shared Security (e.g., Rollups, Polkadot Parachains) |
|---|---|---|
Security Source | Independent validator set | Derived from a parent chain (e.g., Ethereum, Polkadot Relay Chain) |
Capital Cost | High (must bootstrap own economic security) | Low (rent security from established chain) |
Sovereignty | Full (independent governance & upgrades) | Partial (often constrained by parent chain's rules) |
Time to Finality | Varies (depends on own consensus) | Inherits finality of parent chain |
Cross-Chain Trust | Requires bridges & external trust assumptions | Native, cryptographically secured interoperability |
Economic Attack Cost | Chain's own stake/market cap | Parent chain's stake/market cap |
Example Implementations | Cosmos zones, Avalanche subnets, standalone L1s | Ethereum rollups (Optimism, Arbitrum), Polkadot parachains |
SHARED SECURITY
Frequently Asked Questions
Shared security is a foundational concept in modular blockchain architecture, allowing new chains to inherit the economic security of an established network. This section answers common questions about its mechanisms, benefits, and key implementations.
A shared security model is a system where a primary blockchain, or consensus layer, provides its economic security and validator set to secure multiple independent execution layers, such as rollups or app-chains. This model allows new chains to launch without needing to bootstrap their own decentralized validator network from scratch. The security is typically enforced through mechanisms like restaking (where validators stake the native token of the primary chain to secure others) or light client verification. This creates a security marketplace, where the cost of attacking a smaller chain is tied to the much larger economic value secured by the primary layer's validators.
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