Mainnet upgrade · May 28, 2026 · 18:00 UTC

Base Azul. Our first independent upgrade.

Azul moves Base onto base-reth-node — our own execution client — and ships a multi-proof system combining TEE attestations with ZK validity proofs. Withdrawals get materially faster. The base layer gets meaningfully more decentralized.

Time to activation 2026-05-28T18:00:00Z

--Days

--Hours

--Minutes

--Seconds

Why Azul matters

Four numbers that change with this upgrade.

Azul is not a re-brand. It is the first Base release where the production network runs on infrastructure Base controls end-to-end.

1^st independent Base execution client in production

TEE + ZK multi-proof system securing L2 → L1 finality

~6h target challenge window post-upgrade (down from 7 days)

100% backwards-compatible for users, contracts, and tooling

What ships

Three pillars. One activation block.

Azul is a coordinated upgrade. The new client, the proof system, and the shorter withdrawal window activate together.

base-reth-node

An independent execution client

Built on reth and tuned for Base's workload. Azul is the first mainnet release where Base validates and serves traffic on a client that Base ships and maintains — not a fork of an upstream OP Stack binary. Permissioned sequencing is unchanged; the client floor is no longer shared.

multi-proof

TEE attestations + ZK validity proofs

Two independent proof systems verify each L2 batch posted to L1. A TEE-attested execution trace catches fast; a ZK validity proof finalizes. Settlement only advances when both agree, which is the precondition for safely shortening the withdrawal window.

faster withdrawals

Hours, not days

With multi-proof finality in place, the optimistic challenge window is reduced from the standard 7 days to a target of approximately 6 hours. Withdrawals initiated after activation route through the new shorter path. Bridge integrations require no changes.

Azul Early Access

Connect before activation. Earn five Azul Early Access rewards.

Wallets connected before the snapshot enter the Azul presence set: an on-chain record that your address was active on Base when the new client took over — and the key that unlocks the five rewards on the right.

Snapshot closes at the activation block on May 28, 18:00 UTC. After that, the lane fills from the public queue. Connect once now — no transaction is initiated.

Snapshot closes at the activation block. No transaction is initiated by connecting.

Azul Early Access rewards Azul

Azul Activation rewards pool Pro-rata share of the Azul activation pool, distributed to wallets present in the snapshot. Base allocation + activity multiplier (1.0–2.5×) for sustained on-chain usage through the first epoch.
Priority faster-withdrawal lane First access to the ~6h withdrawal path for 30 days after activation. Your wallet skips the public queue while the lane scales.
Azul commemorative attestation Non-transferable on-chain attestation (EAS schema) recording your wallet's presence at the activation block. Verifiable from any client.
Partner-app boosts · launch week Fee rebates and zero-gas sessions on selected apps on Base during the first 7 days, restricted to Azul Early Access wallets.
Builder multiplier Wallets that deploy or verify a contract before the activation snapshot get an additional builder weight on top of the activity multiplier.

Snapshot block @ 2026-05-28T18:00:00Z

Timeline

From spec freeze to faster withdrawals.

Azul has been on testnet since late April. The five steps below are the public path to mainnet and immediately after.

Apr 12 · Done Spec freeze Final Azul spec published
Apr 28 · Done Public testnet Sepolia activation, open RPC
Now Final audits & client release Third-party reviews complete
May 28 · 18:00 UTC Mainnet activation Azul block goes live
May 29 · ~18:00 UTC Faster-withdrawal lane Shortened window enabled

FAQ

Common questions, short answers.

If something is not covered here, the full Azul technical write-up has the rest.

What changes for users on day one?

Nothing visible. Same chain ID, same addresses, same wallets, same RPC endpoints. Apps and contracts continue to work without modification. The change is under the hood: the client serving you and the way withdrawals settle.

Do I have to migrate anything?

No. There is no token migration, no contract redeploy, no required user action. Azul is a network upgrade, not a chain swap.

When exactly do withdrawals get faster?

The new shorter challenge window activates approximately 24 hours after the mainnet activation block, once the multi-proof pipeline has cleared its first full window on production traffic. Withdrawals initiated after that point settle on the faster path.

Is base-reth-node open-source?

Yes. The client and the Azul spec are published under the same permissive license as the rest of the Base stack. Reproducible builds and a release-engineering guide ship with the activation tag.

Is Azul Early Access an airdrop?

No. Connecting your wallet records presence at the activation snapshot. It does not allocate a token. Eligibility for any future Azul rewards is conditioned on being in the presence set and on continued activity — not on the connect alone.

What is the Azul attestation?

A non-transferable EAS attestation issued to wallets in the presence set after activation. It records the activation block, the wallet address, and the schema version. It cannot be transferred, sold, or revoked.