Get started with Arbitrum
Arbitrum is a suite of Ethereum scaling solutions that make it easy to build and use decentralized applications. This document provides a high-level overview of the Arbitrum suite along with onboarding guidance tailored to specific audiences.
The Arbitrum suite
The Arbitrum suite includes the protocols, chains, services, and SDKs that power the Arbitrum ecosystem:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Arbitrum Rollup | A protocol for scaling Ethereum smart contracts. |
| Arbitrum AnyTrust | A protocol for scaling Ethereum smart contracts even further, with a mild trust assumption. |
| Arbitrum Nitro | The node software that codifies the Rollup and AnyTrust protocols. |
| Arbitrum nodes | Machines that run Nitro in order to service and/or interact with an Arbitrum chain. |
| Arbitrum One | A public Rollup chain. |
| Arbitrum Nova | A public AnyTrust chain. |
| Arbitrum bridge | Lets you move ETH and ERC-20 tokens between Ethereum, Arbitrum, and select Orbit chains. |
| Arbitrum Orbit | Lets you run your own Rollup and AnyTrust chains. |
| Arbitrum Stylus | Lets you write EVM-compatible smart contracts in Rust and any other language that compiles to Wasm. |
Arbitrum for users
Users interact with Arbitrum either through the Arbitrum bridge or by using dApps that have been deployed to an Arbitrum chain.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Arbitrum bridge | Lets you move ETH and ERC-20 tokens between Ethereum, Arbitrum, and select Orbit chains. |
| Arbitrum Portal | A directory of dApps on Arbitrum. |
| Quickstart (bridge) | Provides step-by-step instructions for first-time bridge users. |
Arbitrum for developers
Developers build Arbitrum dApps by deploying smart contracts to an Arbitrum chain.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| A gentle introduction to Arbitrum | A technical introduction to Arbitrum's suite of scaling solutions. |
| Quickstart (Solidity) | Targeted at web2 developers who want to deploy their first Solidity smart contract to Arbitrum. |
| Quickstart (Rust) | Targeted at web3 developers who want to deploy their first Rust smart contract to Arbitrum using Stylus. |
Arbitrum for node runners
Node runners run the machines that support the Arbitrum ecosystem.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Run a full node | Targeted at node runners who want to access Arbitrum chains without having to connect to a third-party node. |
| Configure a Data Availability Committee | Targeted at Data Availability Committee members and Orbit chain operators who want to run a Data Availability Server. |
Arbitrum for chain operators
Chain operators use Arbitrum Orbit to run special-purpose Rollup and AnyTrust chains.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Orbit gentle introduction | Targeted at readers who want to understand Orbit's value proposition and use cases. |
| Orbit quickstart | Targeted at chain operators who want to deploy their first Arbitrum chain using Arbitrum Orbit. |
How it works
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Inside Nitro | A technical deep dive into Nitro's architecture. |
| Inside AnyTrust | A technical deep dive into the AnyTrust protocol. |
| Arbitrum whitepaper | The original whitepaper that introduced Nitro. |
| DAO docs | Docs that support members of the Arbitrum DAO. |