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What is CDK?

The Agglayer Chain Development Kit (CDK) is a multistack toolkit for building custom Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) chains. Each CDK chain is natively connected to Agglayer, enabling seamless cross-chain interoperability, shared liquidity, and unified state across an expanding ecosystem of L2s.

CDK supports multiple execution stacks so developers can choose the architecture that best suits their project. Current options include:

  • cdk-opgeth: A high-performance, OP Stack-style client built on Ethereum’s most widely adopted execution client, Geth.
  • cdk-erigon: A customizable, ZK-secure client with advanced configuration options and full Agglayer connectivity.

More stacks will be added soon. Whether you’re building a DeFi protocol, launching a high-throughput chain, or creating a security-first enterprise appchain, CDK provides the flexibility to launch on your terms—while benefiting from unified liquidity across the Agglayer network.

Projects Using CDK

  • Ternoa
  • Merlin Chain
  • Magic Labs (Newton)
  • Silicon Network
  • Witness Chain
  • WireX
  • Lumia (formerly Orion)
  • Okto Wallet
  • Palm Network
  • Prom
  • OKX
  • Moonveil
    …and more

CDK-opgeth

Overview

cdk-opgeth enables developers to launch Ethereum-native Layer 2 chains using Geth, Ethereum’s most widely adopted execution client. It combines the familiar OP Stack architecture with Agglayer’s infrastructure for seamless interoperability, high throughput, and ZK-backed scalability.

Key Highlights

  • Native Agglayer connectivity via Sovereign mode
  • Built on Geth, which powers over 50% of Ethereum clients
  • Designed by Conduit, core maintainers of cdk-opgeth and the G2 sequencer

Who Should Use cdk-opgeth?

  • Teams familiar with the OP Stack: Leverage existing tooling and development workflows without a steep learning curve
  • Projects seeking fast launch timelines: Spin up a production-ready L2 in under one day with implementation support
  • Builders prioritizing Ethereum-native tooling: Maintain compatibility with widely-used Ethereum clients, debuggers, and dev environments

Performance

  • 60 to 100+ million gas per second (Mgas/s)
  • Over 4,700 peak transactions per second (TPS)
  • Finality in under 60 minutes (zkrollup + validium modes)
  • Supports rapid deployment and testing with minimal setup

Supported Modes

  • Sovereign (live)
    Default mode offering Agglayer connectivity secured by pessimistic proofs.
    No prover required. Optimized for low-cost L2 chains.

  • Validium (in development)
    ZK-secured execution with offchain data storage for lower cost and higher throughput.

  • zkRollup (in development)
    Fully onchain ZK rollup support for maximum security, scalability, and Ethereum-aligned trust assumptions.

CDK-erigon

Overview

cdk-erigon is the original CDK stack, built on the high-performance Erigon client. It offers deep customization capabilities, such as native gas token support and three live rollup modes backed by zero-knowledge proofs. Designed for enterprise-grade deployments, cdk-erigon chains are optimized for scalability, configurability, and ZK-secured execution.

Key Highlights

  • Native token support with custom gas metering and pricing flexibility
  • Maintained by Gateway.fm, with three ZK-based modes live in production
  • Battle-tested with over 500 million transactions processed by cdk-erigon-powered chains

Who Should Use cdk-erigon?

  • Enterprise deployments: Ideal for security-first environments and high-throughput applications requiring configurable infrastructure
  • Projects requiring tailored configurations: Support for custom gas tokens, advanced rollup settings, and multiple data availability strategies
  • Developers prioritizing ZK security and token control: Built-in support for fully ZK-secured rollups with native token issuance and validator flexibility

Performance

  • Over 60 million gas per second (Mgas/s) in burst capacity
  • More than 1,000 peak transactions per second (TPS)
  • Finality in as little as 30 minutes
  • Up to 90% reduction in node storage footprint
  • Production deployment timelines typically around 15 days

Supported Modes

  • Sovereign (live)
    Default mode with native Agglayer connectivity secured by pessimistic proofs.
    Optimized for cost-effective execution and cross-chain interoperability without ZK provers.

  • Validium (live)
    ZK-secured execution with offchain data availability.
    Designed for performance and cost savings while maintaining Agglayer-backed trust guarantees.

  • zkRollup (live)
    Fully onchain ZK rollup with maximum security and verifiability.
    Suitable for applications requiring onchain data integrity and the strongest Ethereum-aligned guarantees.