Polygon PoS
Polygon's original Proof of Stake sidechain to Ethereum; rebranded to POL in 2024 as part of the Polygon 2.0 upgrade.
Polygon PoS — Polygon PoS (Proof of Stake) is an EVM-compatible sidechain that provides fast, low-cost transactions while periodically checkpointing to Ethereum mainnet. Formerly known as Matic Network, Polygon PoS processes transactions in approximately 2 seconds with gas costs under $0.01 and hosts a major DeFi ecosystem including QuickSwap, Aave, and Uniswap deployments.
What Is Polygon PoS?
Polygon PoS is a proof-of-stake sidechain that runs alongside Ethereum. It uses its own set of validators (100+) who stake MATIC (now POL) tokens and produce blocks approximately every 2 seconds. Unlike Ethereum L2 rollups, Polygon PoS does not post all transaction data to Ethereum — it periodically commits checkpoint hashes, providing a different security model.
The chain launched in 2020 and became one of the first scalable EVM environments, attracting major DeFi protocols and enterprise partners.
Polygon PoS Ecosystem
Polygon PoS hosts mature deployments of Aave, Uniswap V3, QuickSwap, Balancer, and Curve. Its low costs attracted gaming projects (Sandbox), NFT platforms, and enterprise applications (Starbucks Odyssey). The chain consistently processes 2-3 million transactions per day.
Polygon PoS vs Polygon zkEVM
Polygon PoS is a sidechain with its own consensus, while Polygon zkEVM is a zero-knowledge rollup that derives security directly from Ethereum. Polygon PoS offers lower costs and faster finality today, while zkEVM provides stronger security guarantees. Polygon's long-term vision unifies both under the Polygon 2.0 / AggLayer architecture.
Related Terms
Polygon zkEVM
Polygon's ZK Rollup EVM-compatible chain offering Ethereum-level security with significantly lower transaction costs.
Read definition Chain-SpecificEthereum Mainnet
The primary Ethereum blockchain where all real-value transactions occur, as distinct from testnets like Sepolia or Goerli.
Read definition Chain-SpecificBNB Smart Chain (BSC)
Binance's EVM-compatible blockchain with 3-second block times and low fees, home to PancakeSwap and many meme tokens.
Read definition Chain-SpecificAvalanche C-Chain
The EVM-compatible smart contract chain within Avalanche's tri-chain architecture, where all DeFi and token activity occurs.
Read definitionFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Polygon PoS in cryptocurrency and DeFi.
Technically, Polygon PoS is a sidechain (commit chain) rather than a true L2 rollup. It has its own validator set and consensus, periodically checkpointing to Ethereum. L2s like Arbitrum and Optimism derive security directly from Ethereum by posting transaction data to L1.
The native token was MATIC, which has been migrating to POL under the Polygon 2.0 upgrade. POL is used for gas fees, staking, and governance across the Polygon ecosystem.
The official Polygon Bridge transfers assets from Ethereum. The PoS Bridge takes approximately 20-30 minutes for deposits. Third-party bridges like Across and Stargate offer faster alternatives. Many centralized exchanges also support direct withdrawals to Polygon PoS.
Ready to put your knowledge into practice?
Start Boosting