Crypto Ecosystems V1.1: Updates for Multichain Crypto

The Crypto Ecosystems Taxonomy has been updated to Version 1.1.

Ecosystems that are Layer 1 and Layer 2 chains now list all projects that support their users as sub-ecosystems in their taxonomy.

Why update?

This open-source taxonomy has been a community effort to track developer activity in crypto since 2019. In 2019, almost all projects in crypto supported just one chain. Now, many projects support users across multiple chains.

This taxonomy has been updated to reflect that reality. In the newest version of this taxonomy, any project that supports multiple chains can be a sub-ecosystem of each chain it supports.

This taxonomy has been updated to continue to be an objective and transparent source adapted to the way crypto works today.

Uniswap as an Example of a Multichain Taxonomy

Previously, Uniswap was only considered a sub-ecosystem of Ethereum.

Now, Uniswap is a sub-ecosystem for Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, and all other chains it supports. As Uniswap rolls out support for more chains, the community will add Uniswap as a sub-ecosystem to those chains.

How Did the Taxonomy Work Before Dec 2023?

Previously, projects were considered sub-ecosystems of a chain if they met 2 of the following conditions:

• The project launched on this chain first.
• The project's governance tokens lived on this chain.
• The primary medium of exchange for this project used this chain's tokens.
• The project's governance activity primarily happened on this chain.
• The project's team or website publicly mentioned support for this chain only.

This ruleset for determining sub-ecosystems worked well for a world where projects primarily supported a single chain. This is no longer the case today. Many projects do not have a "primary" home but instead equally support multiple chains as one of their core value propositions.

How Can I Keep Using V1 Until I'm Ready to Switch Over?

You can continue using v1.0 until you're ready to switch. Keep in mind that any new changes will generate new releases and previous releases won't be maintained.