Differences between Ethereum and Shape

Shape is EVM equivalent, but has some minor differences.

Shape is built on Optimism’s OP Stack , an open-source public good designed to be EVM equivalent and introduce as few changes as possible to the Ethereum protocol. This makes it easy to build on Shape.

There are some minor differences developers should be aware of:

Key Differences

Opcodes

Shape maintains EVM equivalence but has some modified opcodes to support its Layer 2 architecture. For detailed information about specific opcode changes, refer to the Optimism documentation .

Transaction Fees

Shape’s transaction fee structure differs from Ethereum’s:

• Shape uses a dual-fee system with L1 and L2 fees
• L2 fees are significantly lower than Ethereum’s gas fees
• Shape has Gasback, returning 80% of L2 fees to contract owners

More information here.

Block Time

• Shape has faster block times compared to Ethereum
• This enables quicker transaction confirmations

Network Architecture

• Shape is a Layer 2 solution built on top of Ethereum
• It inherits Ethereum’s security while providing scalability benefits
• Transactions are batched and submitted to Ethereum for final settlement

For more detailed technical information about these differences, please refer to the Optimism documentation .