Base is an Ethereum Layer-2 rollup launched by Coinbase in 2023, built on the OP Stack (the same technology as Optimism). It settles to Ethereum for security while offering dramatically lower fees, and benefits from Coinbase's enormous user base and fiat on-ramps.
Base has rapidly become one of the most active L2s, particularly for consumer, social and memecoin applications. Its close ties to Coinbase make onboarding seamless — users can move funds from a Coinbase account onto Base in a few clicks — which has driven strong retail adoption.
Base has no separate token; ETH is used for gas. As part of the "Superchain" vision shared with Optimism, Base contributes sequencer revenue back to the OP collective, aligning it with the broader Ethereum L2 ecosystem.