Flashbots

At Flashbots, we are at the forefront of blockchain innovation, pioneering research and development to address the complex challenges and negative externalities posed by Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) on Ethereum and other stateful blockchains. Through groundbreaking technology and a commitment to open-source principles, Flashbots is revolutionizing the transaction supply chain. Our core mission is to illuminate, democratize, and distribute MEV, fostering a permissionless, transparent, and sustainable ecosystem for all participants. We develop critical infrastructure and sophisticated tooling designed to enhance the efficiency, fairness, and security of block production. Key innovations include MEV-Boost, which empowers Ethereum validators by providing access to a competitive block-building market, and Flashbots Protect, an RPC endpoint offering users enhanced transaction privacy and protection against front-running and sandwich attacks.

Flashbots operates through two interconnected engines: Flashbots Product and Flashbots Research. Our product division focuses on building robust, market-driven solutions like BuilderNet, a decentralized block-building network leveraging Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), and high-performance block builders written in Rust like rbuilder and op-rbuilder. Simultaneously, Flashbots Research delves into the intricate dynamics of MEV, exploring novel cryptographic methods, economic incentives, and security models. We are actively investigating advanced concepts such as Rollup-Boost for Layer 2 scaling solutions and the potential of Multi-Party Computation (MPC) to further enhance privacy and fairness. Our commitment extends to fostering a vibrant community, sharing our findings openly, and collaborating with researchers and developers worldwide to ensure the long-term health and decentralization of public blockchains. Through these efforts, Flashbots is dedicated to shaping a more equitable and resilient future for decentralized systems, ensuring that the benefits of MEV are harnessed responsibly and its potential pitfalls are effectively mitigated through continuous technological advancement.