Insights
Research and perspectives on onchain markets
Explainers, research, frequently asked questions and news from Somnia on market structure, oracles, agents and the infrastructure underneath them.
What is Somnia?
Somnia is the market infrastructure for onchain finance, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 network and a set of open protocols (Somnia Markets, the Somnia Oracle, Somnia Agents, Reactivity, USDso and Somnia Lend) for building financial markets that run entirely onchain, with services from the Somnia team to help clients design, launch and grow them.
Introduction in the docsIs Somnia EVM-compatible?
Yes. Somnia runs standard EVM bytecode, so Solidity contracts, wallets and tools such as Foundry, Hardhat, viem and ethers work unchanged. Mainnet chain ID is 5031.
Network info in the docsHow fast is Somnia?
Somnia has demonstrated over 1 million transactions per second, produces a block every 100 ms and reaches finality in under 500 ms on mainnet.
Somnia Global L1 in the docsWho secures the network?
A proof-of-stake validator set that includes Google Cloud. Every validator also runs Cuthbert, an independent shadow implementation that halts the node on any divergence. The L1 and its consensus were audited by Hacken.
Network security in the docsCan institutions custody assets on Somnia?
Yes. BitGo, Fireblocks and Ledger support Somnia, including the SOMI token. Trading on Somnia Markets is self-custodial: assets stay in user-controlled accounts until settlement.
Do my users need to hold SOMI?
Today, yes. Native gas sponsorship, coming soon, lets a venue or wallet cover its users' gas, so they trade without first acquiring SOMI. Session keys remove the prompts in between.
Gas sponsorship in the docsWhy does the same call sometimes cost more gas?
Somnia prices state access by its real latency. Reading a value no transaction has touched recently costs 1,000,000 gas, while recently accessed state carries no extra charge. Busy contracts, like an active order book, are usually cached.
Gas differences to Ethereum in the docsCan the gas price rise?
Only under sustained congestion. Validators vote the base price up when execution falls behind and straight back to the 6 gwei floor when it catches up. It can never exceed 100,000 gwei.
Congestion pricing in the docsHow do I get a sustained-use discount?
There is nothing to enable or claim. Accounts that use enough gas over a rolling window of about 80 minutes are discounted automatically from the next epoch. The discount appears in each receipt's effective gas price.
Sustained-use discounts in the docsWhen will Somnia Bridge launch?
It is coming soon. Join the waitlist and we will tell you when it opens.
Which chains and assets will Somnia Bridge support?
The first list will be published before launch. Until then, both are TBC.
How is a Somnia Bridge transfer secured?
Somnia Agents observe the transfer, the Somnia Validator Network agrees it happened, and a signed receipt is recorded on Somnia.
How long does a Somnia Bridge transfer take?
Release on Somnia is final in under a second once attested. Time on the source chain varies; estimates TBC.
What will a Somnia Bridge transfer cost?
An agent fee for attestation plus Somnia gas. Amounts are TBC and shown before you sign.
Can my contract react to a Somnia Bridge deposit?
Yes. With Reactivity, a contract can act on an arriving transfer in the same block.
Reactivity in the docsWhen will Somnia Dedicated RPC be available?
Dedicated RPC is not yet available. Join the waitlist and the team will contact you when capacity opens in your region. Launch date TBC.
Dedicated RPC in the docsHow is Somnia Dedicated RPC different from the public RPC?
The public endpoint at api.infra.mainnet.somnia.network is shared by all network users. Dedicated nodes will serve only your traffic, in the region you choose, behind your own allow-list.
RPCs in the docsHow will Somnia Dedicated RPC be priced?
Pricing is TBC. Gas applies to every transaction you send, as it does on any Somnia endpoint.