Why Custom Blockchains Are the New Trend of 2025: From L2 to AppChains

Just yesterday, the entire Web3 was building DeFi protocols on Ethereum. Today, more and more projects are leaving the common Layer 1 and Layer 2 platforms. A fresh paradigm is replacing “one blockchain for everyone”: AppChains — custom blockchains tailored for one specific application. It’s not just about technology. It’s about control, economics, and the future of Web3.

What’s the point of AppChain?

AppChain (Application-Specific Blockchain) is an independent chain created specifically for the needs of one project: be it a DeFi protocol, a game, a marketplace, or a fintech application. Instead of fighting for a place in the Ethereum or Solana mempool, AppChain lives its own life: its own consensus, rules, fees, bridges, and security.

Why is it becoming mainstream?

Scalability

One blockchain — one task. No congestion, no disputes over resources. Bandwidth can be optimized for a specific case.

Control

The project no longer needs to rely on third-party validators or forks of other protocols. Everything is customized: from gas to staking mechanics.

Economy

You no longer need to pay a fee to the "parent" network. Everything stays inside AppChain. Commissions, rewards, tokenomics are completely custom.

Custom security

Do you want zk-rollup? Or white-listed validators? Or a private network with TEE? In AppChain, you choose yourself.

Web3 as a service

With the emergence of projects such as Celestia, Fluent, Caldera, Dymension, launching your own blockchain is a matter of days, not months. It's like Heroku or AWS, but for blockchains.

Who's in the game?

1.       dYdX — left Ethereum and built his own blockchain on Cosmos.

2.       Celestia — offers a data availability layer for independent rollups.

3.       Fluent — makes a rollup constructor for corporate Web3.

4.       Arbitrum Orbit and OP Stack — frameworks for launching your own L2 based on Arbitrum and Optimism.

5.       Berachain, Eclipse, Monad — new L1, where everything is tailored to custom ecosystems.

What does this mean for Web3?

We are moving away from monolithic blockchains. They are being replaced by tens, hundreds and thousands of AppChains, each of which is like a microservice in a large Web3 architecture. This is a step towards true modularity. Towards a world where each project is not just a dApp, but a full-fledged economy.

Leading AppChain Platforms and Their Features

Who is already building on AppChains?

dYdX

Left Ethereum and launched his network on the Cosmos SDK. Reason: control, speed, independence from L1 issues.

Berachain

Layer-1, built from scratch for DeFi protocols. With its own governance mechanism and flexible architecture.

Celestia

Data Availability Layer, allowing you to launch autonomous rollups without overload.

Arbitrum Orbit & OP Stack

Tools for launching your own L2, aimed at modularity and the AppChain model.

Fluent

One of the most flexible rollup blockchain builders, focused on corporate and private applications.

The main challenge is not technology, but UX

The transition to AppChains challenges the current logic of Web3:

·         Where will Metamask be?

·         How to switch chains?

·         What about liquidity, bridges, tokens?

Projects like Socket, LayerZero, Wormhole are already responding to this by offering infrastructure for seamless cross-chain experience. But we are still far from the mass UX level of Web2.

AppChain = sovereignty + connection

It is important to understand: AppChain is not isolation. It is like a microservice in the Web3 world. Each has its own rules, but they are connected through secure channels.

What's next?

1.       2023 was the year of L2.

2.       2024 is the year of modularity.

3.       2025 is the year of custom chains.

We are moving towards a world where:

Every product = its own blockchain.

Every ecosystem = its own economic layer.

Every developer = the architect of their network.

AppChains vs Traditional dApps on Monolithic Blockchains

Conclusion

AppChains are a logical step in the evolution of Web3. Not just decentralization, but sovereignty.

This is a shift from platforms to ecosystems.

From infrastructure to tools.

From monolithic Ethereum to a world where each project is its own network.