Lighter and Axiom launch EVM devnet for smart contract trading

Lighter and Axiom have launched the Lighter EVM development network (devnet), an Ethereum-compatible environment designed to connect smart contract logic with Lighter’s trading engine, Lighter Core.

The devnet features one-second block production and allows developers to interact with order-matching and risk engine data. Through asynchronous requests, smart contracts can read account balances, positions, and market data, as well as place, modify, or cancel orders. The system enables asset transfers between the EVM and Core, with settlement occurring on a privately deployed Layer 1 instance rather than the Ethereum mainnet.

As a test environment, the devnet currently has several technical limitations. It utilizes mocked zero-knowledge proofs for L1 finalization, and the permissionless asset-recovery mechanism is not yet fully functional. Additionally, reading Core data is currently restricted to the latest block. The long-term architecture aims to combine proofs from both the EVM and Core for verification on Ethereum. Developers are currently being admitted to the network in cohorts, with wider access expected in the coming weeks.