Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, is changing the technology that powers it, moving away from reliance on Optimism’s OP Stack, the toolset it was originally launched on.
In a blog post titled “The Next Chapter of Base,” the team said it plans to take more control over its own code and infrastructure. Instead of relying on multiple external teams for key updates and changes, Base will consolidate everything into one codebase managed by Base.
In simple terms, the Base was built using Optimism’s technology, but now he wants to run his own ship more. Optimism is a layer 2 blockchain on top of Ethereum that aims to reduce settlement times and transaction costs.
Base launched in 2023 and quickly became one of the most used Ethereum Layer 2 networks, with $3.85 billion locked in the protocol today. When the network went live, the Optimism and Base teams shared that Base had the opportunity to earn up to approximately 118 million OP tokens over six years. So far he’s not sure what that means for that deal.
The OP token is down 4% in the last 24 hours following the announcement.
The team said the change does not mean Base is cutting ties with Optimism entirely. The company said it will continue to work with Optimism for support and will continue to support OP Stack standards during the transition. For everyday users and developers, nothing should change immediately.
The team said the change is happening because, by controlling its own stack, Base can push updates faster and simplify network operation behind the scenes, with the goal of doubling its pace of major updates to about six per year.
For now, the transition is primarily technical.
“This unification does not mean that the Base will be built in isolation. The protocol remains public and openly specified, and alternative implementations are welcomed and encouraged,” the team wrote on its blog.
“We are grateful for our three-year partnership with Base and proud to have helped it become one of the most successful Layer 2 implementations in history,” an OP Labs spokesperson told CoinDesk. “Our focus remains on providing enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure to our ecosystem, and we will continue to serve Base as an OP Enterprise customer as they build their independent infrastructure.”
UPDATE (February 18, 2026, 18:06 UTC): Adds OP Labs statement + background information on the 118 million OP token deal.
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