Astar zkEVM is a mainnet Ethereum Layer 2 built with Polygon CDK that uses zero‑knowledge proofs for security and uses ETH as the native gas token. It powers DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and enterprise consumer apps that need low fees and seamless cross‑chain UX. As of Sep 2025, typical L2 performance is ~$0.01–$0.05 avg gas, ~2s block times, and hundreds of TPS capacity—enabling far cheaper, faster activity than Ethereum L1.
Astar zkEVM is differentiated by Polygon AggLayer interoperability, enabling near‑instant, trust‑minimized bridging and shared liquidity across CDK chains—faster and simpler than optimistic L2s with week‑long exits. It combines EVM equivalence, ETH gas, and Ethereum security with Astar’s strong Japan‑focused ecosystem and enterprise integrations for consumer‑grade Web3. In practice, users see second‑level finality, cent‑level fees, and hundreds‑TPS throughput, with on‑chain activity scaling during launches; check the Astar explorer for live metrics.
Astar zkEVM uses ETH as the gas token for transaction fees. You can obtain ETH by bridging from other chains or purchasing using thirdweb Bridge.
To bridge ETH to Astar zkEVM, connect your wallet to thirdweb bridge, select your source chain, choose the token you want to bridge, select Astar zkEVM as the destination, enter the amount, and confirm the transaction. The bridge will handle the cross-chain transfer instantly.
To build on Astar zkEVM you can use thirdweb, which provides an easy way to build, monetize and scale your apps, games or agents. You can find detailed guides and documentation on https://portal.thirdweb.com to get started quickly.
To add Astar zkEVM to your wallet, you can connect your wallet and click on [Add to Wallet] button at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can add the network manually using the RPC URL and chain details and add it to your wallet's network settings.
To send ETH on Astar zkEVM, ensure your wallet is connected to the Astar zkEVM network, enter the recipient's address, specify the amount of ETH to send, review the gas fee, and confirm the transaction in your wallet.