Offchain Labs Announces “Arbitrum Stylus”

Blockchain developer Offchain Labs has unveiled a new technical application called the Arbitrum Stylus. The new tool will support smart contract development in multiple languages. Both the code and testnet of Arbitrum Stylus are public and the firm has submitted them for Arbitrum community voting.

Arbitrum Stylus will make it possible to develop smart contracts in multiple programming languages. These include Rust, C, and C++ on Arbitrum’s Layer-2 network. Support for these languages will be added to the currently adopted Solidity programming language. The new tool sets itself apart by allowing developers to write smart contracts in Solidity and languages that can be converted to WebAssembly (WASM). WebAssembly is a way to run code from programming languages like Rust and C++ on the web. With the launch of the Arbitrum Stylus, codes in these languages can also be run on the blockchain. Rachel Bousfield, technology lead at Blockworks, said:

If someone works with Rust, C, or C++, they can use technologies they are already familiar with, write their applications, and make their products in those languages, instead of learning a new programming language like Solidity or Vyper.

The functionality of blockchain code execution makes it extremely easy for developers to start creating smart contracts. Offchain Labs has also made the code and testnet of the Arbitrum Stylus public. The idea behind this is to expand access to Ethereum compatible smart contract development.

Offchain Labs stated that Stylus is designed to simplify smart contract creation in Arbitrum for developers experienced in programming languages such as C, C++ and Rust. According to the firm’s estimations, the introduction of Stylus could help bring more than 3 million Rust and C developers into the Ethereum smart contract ecosystem. Until now, the Ethereum smart contract ecosystem was dominated by Solidity developers. Offchain Labs also plans to expand Stylus support to other programming languages that can be converted to WASM in the near future. Steven Goldfeder, CEO and co-founder of Offchain Labs, said:

Growing and building the most inclusive developer community is incredibly important to us. We want to open access to as many people as possible to create new apps. There is unlimited innovation potential in the chain and in the technology stack.

The company also hinted that the Stylus’ wider language support and improved efficiency could benefit projects in niche areas like social media and even gaming. The stylus can help speed up calculations significantly, thanks to its compatibility with EASM languages.