Definition ∞ A Data Availability Committee is a group of independent entities responsible for verifying that transaction data for a Layer 2 scaling solution is published and accessible. This committee operates within certain rollup architectures, particularly those with a hybrid data availability model, to provide an additional layer of security and trust. Their function involves attesting that off-chain transaction data, which is not directly posted to the main blockchain, is indeed available for network participants to reconstruct the state. This mechanism helps maintain the integrity and censorship resistance of the Layer 2 system.
Context ∞ Data Availability Committees serve a critical function in bridging the gap between centralized and fully decentralized data availability solutions for Layer 2 networks. While they offer a practical approach to scaling, they introduce a degree of trust assumption, as participants rely on the committee’s honesty. The long-term trajectory for Layer 2 designs involves minimizing such trust assumptions, moving towards more cryptographically verifiable data availability methods. This evolution aims to enhance the security and decentralization of scaling solutions.
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