The Bankless Guide to Zora Network

Zora Network is a Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution built on Ethereum, designed to make NFT interactions more efficient and cost-effective.

Developed by the Zora team, the network aims to alleviate the transactional burden on Ethereum by handling NFT transactions offchain, which are then bundled and posted back to the Ethereum blockchain as proofs.

All in all, Zora Network offers a gas-friendly L2 integrated with Zora’s creator tools and has the potential to become a dominant scaling solution for NFTs in the years ahead.

How Zora Network works

Zora Network leverages the OP Stack technology, which is the backbone of Optimism’s Superchain vision, the aim of which is to create a network of many optimistic rollup chains.

That said, Zora Network is the first NFT-centric L2 to deploy using OP Stack, and the specialized tech allows Zora to offer rapid, cost-efficient transactions specifically tailored for NFTs. Transactions are confirmed in seconds, and minting an NFT can cost less than $0.50.

The pulse of Zora Network

Since its Zora Network is essentially an “appchain,” it is focused on servicing the Zora NFT minting and marketplace protocol and the Zora.co platform. This means that instead of trying to attract an array of DeFi, NFT, and crypto social projects, so far, Zora Network has specifically just focused on streamlining Zora mints.

As such, comparing Zora Network’s stats against other universal or DeFi-focused chains doesn’t make sense. But even still, the L2’s seen a definite boom of NFT activity since launching in June 2023, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.

What you need to use Zora Network

👛 A wallet — You can use a resource like Chainlist to easily add Zora Network to your wallet, e.g., MetaMask; for reference, the Chain ID is 7777777
🪙 Starter ETH — Like you need ETH for gas on Ethereum, you need ETH to pay for transactions on Zora Network; if you have ETH on Ethereum, you can then bridge some over to use on Zora Network

How to bridge to Zora Network

If you’d like to bridge ETH to Zora Network, a basic starting point is the native Zora Bridge. Simply input the amount of ETH that you want to deposit, confirm the transaction with your wallet, and then wait for your funds to arrive on the Zora Network.

Due to the nature of optimistic-style rollups, it will take ~7 days for withdrawals (not deposits) to process via this native Zora Bridge. If you’d like quicker withdrawals, you can consider using 3rd-party “fast” bridges, although not many have added support for Zora Network yet. Keep an eye on projects like Bungee, which may do so in time.

What to do on Zora Network

Collect and create NFTs, of course!

As for collecting, you can head to Zora.co to readily discover mints on Zora Network. Then, if you have ETH on the L2, it’s as simple as pressing “Mint” and confirming the transaction with your wallet to start collecting.

Here, I also recommend mint.fun, which surfaces safe mints automatically and now supports Zora Network drops.

As for creating NFTs, on Zora, you can create a variety of NFT drops — from 1/1s to generative 1/1/X collections — and the only difference from Ethereum when using Zora Network is toggling the “Zora Network” option on during the mint setup process. Complete the transaction and boom, that’s all it takes to make your own drop on the Zora L2.

Keep in mind: if you make a free mint release on Zora Network, you’ll be eligible to earn ETH through the new Zora Protocol Rewards system!

Additional Zora Network resources

If you want to dive deeper into the Zora L2, be sure to check out these other helpful resources:

Zooming out

By focusing solely on optimizing the NFT experience, Zora has carved out a unique niche that sets it apart from other universal or DeFi-centric L2s. Its integration with Optimism’s Superchain vision further amplifies its potential, making it a compelling choice for anyone in the NFT space.

Whether you’re a creator looking to mint cost-effective NFTs or a collector seeking a smoother, faster experience, Zora Network offers a tailored solution that’s hard to overlook.