Definition

Layer 1 (L1)

A base-layer blockchain that has its own native consensus mechanism, security model, and token (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana).

L1 networks settle their own transactions and provide their own security via a consensus mechanism — Proof-of-Work for Bitcoin, Proof-of-Stake for Ethereum and most newer chains. The L1 token (BTC, ETH, SOL) typically pays for transaction fees and is staked or mined to secure the network.

L1 design tensions trade off scalability, decentralization, and security. Bitcoin prioritizes security and decentralization at the cost of throughput (~7 TPS). Ethereum prioritizes programmability with moderate throughput (~15 TPS) and scales via L2. Solana prioritizes throughput (~3,000+ TPS) with somewhat tighter validator hardware requirements.

New L1s launch regularly but few achieve durable adoption. The competitive moat for an L1 is the developer ecosystem, infrastructure (wallets, DEXes, oracles), and integrations — far harder to bootstrap than the underlying chain itself. Most "Ethereum killers" of 2017-2021 are now niche or abandoned.

Why it matters

L1 choice determines which assets can interact natively, fee structure, settlement guarantees, and which apps are available. Most market analysis is L1-specific.

How CryptoRadar24 tracks it

CryptoRadar24 reports across L1s — BTC dominance, ETH/BTC ratio, ecosystem TVL splits — to track relative momentum.

Related terms

Layer 2 (L2)
A network built on top of a base blockchain (Layer 1) to provide faster, cheaper transactions while inheriting L1 security.
Block reward
The newly minted coins paid to a miner or validator for proposing a valid block, plus the transaction fees in that block.
Hash rate
The total computational power being used to mine and process transactions on a Proof-of-Work blockchain, measured in hashes per second.

FAQ

How is L1 different from L2?

L1 has independent consensus and security. L2 derives security from an L1 and processes transactions off-chain, settling periodically. L1 is the base; L2 scales the base.

What's the strongest L1?

Subjective. By security budget (cost to attack), Bitcoin is strongest. By developer activity and ecosystem TVL, Ethereum leads. By raw throughput, Solana. Different metrics favor different chains.

Are L1 fees always higher than L2?

Usually yes for Ethereum specifically (where L2 was designed to be cheaper). On low-throughput L1s like Bitcoin, fees fluctuate but are often manageable. On Solana, fees are flat and very low at the L1 level.

Can a chain be L1 and L2 simultaneously?

Some chains start as L1s and later add L2s on top of themselves. Some chains (like Celestia) are designed as data-availability layers serving rollups — closer to L1 but specialized.