Cyber represents the first Layer 2 blockchain purpose-built for social applications, deployed on AltLayer's restaked rollup infrastructure with security from EigenLayer and scalability from Optimism's OP Stack. Launched in May 2024 after rebranding from CyberConnect, the platform processes over 100,000 transactions per second with sub-cent gas fees while maintaining the decentralization and security guarantees of Ethereum.

The blockchain addresses fundamental problems plaguing social applications, providing developers with specialized tools and infrastructure specifically designed for social use cases rather than forcing them to adapt general-purpose chains.

What Makes Cyber Different from Other L2s

While hundreds of Layer 2 networks compete for developer attention, Cyber distinguishes itself through social-specific infrastructure rather than generic scalability improvements.

Enshrined Social Graph

The CyberConnect Protocol sits at the blockchain's core layer, allowing applications to access and interact with social data without building separate infrastructure. Developers building on Cyber inherit an existing social graph with over 2 million users, eliminating the cold-start problem that kills most social applications.

Traditional blockchains treat social functionality as an application-layer concern, forcing each project to rebuild social infrastructure from scratch. Cyber's approach embeds social primitives directly into the L2, similar to how Ethereum embeds financial primitives like token transfers at the protocol level.

CyberDB Decentralized Storage

Social applications generate massive data volumes that exceed what's economically feasible to store directly on-chain. CyberDB leverages EigenLayer AVS to provide decentralized storage at costs competitive with centralized alternatives while maintaining verifiability and censorship resistance.

The storage layer handles profile data, content metadata, social interactions, and media references through a performant system optimized for social application access patterns. Applications query CyberDB directly rather than operating separate databases, reducing infrastructure complexity and improving composability across the ecosystem.

Web2-Like User Experience

Cyber implements native account abstraction with EIP-7560 support, enabling users to control wallets through familiar authentication methods like FaceID and passkeys rather than managing seed phrases. Smart accounts support gas sponsorship, allowing applications to cover transaction costs for end users who never need to understand blockchain mechanics.

This approach removes friction that has historically prevented mass adoption of decentralized social applications, where asking users to pay gas fees for every post or interaction creates unacceptable user experience degradation compared to free centralized platforms.

Technical Architecture and Infrastructure

Cyber's technology stack combines multiple cutting-edge blockchain infrastructure components into a unified platform optimized for social applications.

Infrastructure Component	Provider	Purpose
Rollup Framework	Optimism OP Stack	Base execution and settlement layer
Restaked Security	AltLayer MACH AVS	Fast finality and enhanced security
Data Availability	EigenDA (Plasma Mode)	Low-cost transaction data storage
Decentralized Storage	CyberDB (EigenLayer AVS)	Social data and content storage
Network Security	Dual staking (ETH + CYBER)	Validator incentives and slashing

AltLayer's Role in Cyber Infrastructure

AltLayer manages Cyber's technical deployment as a restaked rollup, providing several critical infrastructure services beyond basic rollup operation. The MACH AVS delivers fast finality under 10 seconds, crucial for social applications where users expect immediate feedback on interactions like posting, liking, or commenting.

The restaked security model means Cyber benefits from billions of dollars in economic security through restaked ETH on EigenLayer, providing institutional-grade protection without requiring Cyber to bootstrap its own validator set from scratch. This approach mirrors how other major rollups leverage restaked infrastructure to achieve security and performance impossible with standalone networks.

Optimism Superchain Integration

As part of the Optimism Superchain, Cyber shares infrastructure with major L2s including Base and Mode. This membership provides native interoperability with other Superchain networks, allowing social data and assets to flow seamlessly across the broader ecosystem.

Revenue sharing with the Optimism Collective aligns incentives across the Superchain while contributing to public goods funding. Users on any Superchain L2 can potentially interact with Cyber's social features without explicit bridging, expanding the addressable market for applications built on the platform.

Developer Tools and Social Primitives

Cyber provides purpose-built infrastructure that reduces development time from months to weeks for social application builders.

CyberConnect Protocol Integration

Developers access standardized APIs for common social functionality:

• Profile management with verifiable credentials and reputation
• Social graph queries for follower relationships and connections
• Content distribution with built-in monetization primitives
• Interaction tracking for likes, shares, and engagement metrics

Applications built on these primitives automatically interoperate with other Cyber ecosystem projects, creating network effects where each new application increases utility for existing users and developers.

Native Monetization Frameworks

Social applications on Cyber implement economic models impossible on traditional platforms. Creators capture revenue directly from fans through micropayments, subscription models, and programmable royalties on content sharing. The blockchain's transparent economics ensure fair compensation distribution without platform intermediaries extracting majority revenue.

Developers accessing social data can compensate users and creators directly, enabling business models where AI training on social content pays data providers rather than exploiting user-generated content for platform profit.

Account Abstraction and Onboarding

Cyber's smart account system removes blockchain complexity from end-user experience through several mechanisms:

• Passkey authentication using WebAuthn standards already familiar from banking apps
• Gas sponsorship allowing free transactions for users while developers control costs
• Session keys enabling authorized actions without repeated wallet confirmations
• Social recovery preventing account loss without seed phrase requirements

This infrastructure makes onboarding feel identical to traditional social media signup while providing blockchain benefits like true data ownership and portable identity.

Economic Model and Token Utility

Cyber implements a dual-token economic system balancing network security with user incentives and developer sustainability.

CYBER Token Functions

The native CYBER token serves multiple roles within the ecosystem beyond simple governance:

• Network security through validator staking alongside restaked ETH
• Gas fee payments with preferential rates for token holders
• Governance voting on protocol upgrades and parameter changes
• Developer grants and ecosystem funding allocation
• Liquidity provision in native DEX markets for social tokens

Token holders earn yield from multiple sources including transaction fees, MEV capture from decentralized sequencing, and revenue sharing from CyberDB storage services.

Dual Staking with EigenLayer

Cyber's security model combines CYBER token staking with restaked ETH through EigenLayer, providing redundant economic security. Validators must stake both assets, creating aligned incentives where malicious behavior results in losses across multiple asset types.

Liquid restaking tokens from Renzo, Puffer, and ether.fi integrate directly with Cyber's staking system, allowing users to earn rewards from Ethereum staking, EigenLayer restaking, LRT protocols, and Cyber network participation simultaneously without complex multi-protocol interactions.

Revenue Distribution

Network revenue flows through transparent mechanisms rather than opaque corporate allocation:

• 40% to stakers providing security through CYBER and restaked ETH
• 30% to developers building applications that generate transaction volume
• 20% to protocol treasury for grants and ecosystem development
• 10% to Optimism Collective supporting public goods

This distribution ensures stakeholders contributing value capture proportional returns, creating sustainable economics without relying on speculative token appreciation.

Real-World Applications and Use Cases

Cyber enables social application categories previously unviable on blockchain infrastructure due to cost and performance limitations.

Decentralized Social Networks

Platforms on Cyber provide Twitter/Instagram-like experiences where users truly own their profiles, followers, and content. Link3 operates as a professional networking application similar to LinkedIn, with over 2 million users demonstrating demand for Web3 social alternatives to traditional platforms.

The portability of social graphs means users switching applications maintain their followers and connections, removing platform lock-in that lets centralized networks exploit users through algorithm manipulation and arbitrary content moderation.

Creator Economy Infrastructure

Content creators monetize directly through Cyber applications using programmable payment splits, subscription models, and fan tokens representing access and governance rights. Musicians release tracks with automated royalty distribution to all collaborators, while visual artists sell limited editions with provable scarcity and resale commissions.

The elimination of platform intermediaries capturing 30-50% of creator revenue fundamentally alters economics, making sustainable creator careers viable at smaller audience sizes than traditional platforms require.

Social Gaming and Virtual Worlds

Games built on Cyber integrate social features natively rather than through clunky third-party systems. Players form guilds with on-chain governance, trade items in composable marketplaces, and participate in tournaments with transparent prize distribution.

The fast finality provided by AltLayer's MACH AVS makes real-time social gaming feasible where 10-second transaction confirmations feel instantaneous compared to traditional blockchain networks requiring minutes for settlement.

AI and Social Data Marketplaces

AI companies training on social data compensate users and creators directly through Cyber's transparent data access frameworks. Rather than platforms selling user data to advertisers and AI labs while paying nothing to users, Cyber enables direct negotiation between data providers and consumers.

Developers building AI agents access social context and reputation data through standardized APIs with automatic micropayment settlement, creating sustainable business models for social data infrastructure impossible on traditional platforms or general-purpose blockchains.

Comparing Cyber to Alternatives

Social application developers evaluate Cyber against other infrastructure options including general-purpose L2s, specialized social blockchains, and centralized platforms with blockchain features.

Cyber vs General L2s (Base, Arbitrum)

General-purpose L2s offer high performance and low costs comparable to Cyber, achieving 100,000+ TPS and sub-cent fees through various scaling technologies. The critical difference lies in social-specific infrastructure that Cyber provides at the protocol level.

Developers on general L2s must build social graph infrastructure, implement custom storage solutions for large data volumes, and create user-friendly wallet experiences from scratch. Cyber provides these components as native platform features, reducing development time and improving interoperability with other ecosystem applications.

Cyber vs Lens Protocol / Farcaster

Lens and Farcaster represent alternative approaches to decentralized social, operating as protocols rather than dedicated blockchains. These solutions run on general-purpose chains (Polygon for Lens, Optimism for Farcaster) rather than purpose-built infrastructure.

Cyber's dedicated L2 approach provides cost advantages through optimized infrastructure specifically for social use cases, whereas protocol-based solutions compete for blockspace with DeFi and other applications during network congestion. The trade-off involves additional infrastructure complexity for Cyber versus simpler protocol deployment for alternatives.

Cyber vs Centralized Platforms with Blockchain

Twitter/X and Instagram experiment with blockchain features while maintaining centralized control over data, algorithms, and monetization. These hybrid approaches provide familiar user experiences with incremental Web3 features rather than fundamental architectural changes.

Cyber's fully decentralized approach sacrifices some user experience polish in exchange for genuine data ownership, censorship resistance, and transparent economics. The platform targets users and developers prioritizing these properties over marginal UX improvements from centralized infrastructure.

Getting Started with Cyber

Developers and users access Cyber through multiple entry points depending on technical sophistication and goals.

For Developers Building Social Applications

Cyber's documentation portal provides comprehensive guides for building social applications on the platform. Development follows standard Web3 patterns using familiar tools like Hardhat, Foundry, and JavaScript frameworks, with additional SDKs for CyberConnect Protocol and CyberDB integration.

The $2 million grant program funds promising projects building innovative social applications, with distributed capital supporting ecosystem development during early growth phases. Applications covering social gaming, creator tools, community platforms, and AI integrations receive priority consideration.

For Users Exploring Decentralized Social

Creating a Cyber account requires connecting a Web3 wallet like MetaMask or using CyberWallet's native smart account with passkey authentication. Users bridge assets from Ethereum or other L2s through standard bridge interfaces, with Plasma Mode reducing costs compared to traditional L1 data availability.

Link3 provides immediate access to a working social application with the professional networking focus, allowing users to experience Cyber's capabilities without technical blockchain knowledge. The Web2-like interface hides complexity while providing verifiable credentials and portable profiles unavailable on centralized alternatives.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite compelling advantages, Cyber faces obstacles that could limit adoption and success relative to centralized platforms and competing blockchain solutions.

User Acquisition Against Entrenched Networks

Social applications derive value from network effects where platforms with more users become disproportionately more valuable. Cyber competes against centralized platforms with billions of users and sophisticated retention mechanisms honed over decades.

Overcoming this advantage requires either compelling features unavailable on centralized platforms or capturing emerging social categories before incumbents establish dominance. The creator monetization focus and censorship-resistant properties may attract specific user segments even if mainstream adoption remains elusive.

Technical Complexity and Developer Education

Building on Cyber requires understanding blockchain concepts, smart contract development, and social-specific infrastructure like CyberDB and CyberConnect Protocol. This learning curve exceeds traditional web development where developers focus solely on application logic rather than infrastructure concerns.

The platform's extensive documentation and grant funding help mitigate education barriers, though competition from simpler alternatives or centralized platforms with better developer resources remains significant.

Regulatory Uncertainty Around Social Blockchain

Decentralized social networks face unclear regulatory treatment particularly around content moderation, user data handling, and financial services when applications implement creator monetization or social tokens. The impossibility of censoring content through platform control creates compliance challenges in jurisdictions with strict speech regulations.

Cyber's decentralized architecture provides some regulatory risk distribution compared to centralized platforms with clear legal liability, though developers building applications on the platform may still face compliance obligations depending on implementation details.

The Future of Social Infrastructure

Cyber demonstrates that blockchain technology can provide genuine improvements to social application architecture beyond speculative token economics.

The platform's success depends on attracting developers who build compelling applications that users choose for utility rather than ideology. Early indicators suggest traction with Link3's 2+ million users and ecosystem applications launching through the grants program, though achieving mainstream adoption requires sustained execution over years rather than months.

For developers evaluating where to build the next generation of social applications, Cyber offers specialized infrastructure that reduces development complexity while providing capabilities impossible on traditional platforms or general-purpose blockchains. The combination of AltLayer's restaked security, purpose-built social primitives, and Web2-like user experience creates a compelling foundation for innovation in decentralized social networking.

Whether trading ALT tokens that benefit from Cyber ecosystem growth or evaluating Cyber as social infrastructure for your next application, understanding this purpose-built L2 provides insight into how blockchain technology can genuinely improve digital social experiences beyond financial speculation. Create your LeveX account to access ALT spot trading and futures markets, or explore our Crypto in a Minute guides covering the infrastructure protocols shaping Web3's future.