Dogecoin Could Get a Massive Network Upgrade—Here’s How

Developers have proposed a network upgrade for Dogecoin, which experts say could result in an explosion of activity on the meme coin’s blockchain as games, apps, and and new protocols are deployed.

Put forward by DogeOS, the team behind the MyDoge wallet, the proposal nicknamed OP_CHECKZKP would introduce zero-knowledge proofs and enable zk-rollups, a form of layer-2 scaling network, as a way to boost scalability, decentralization, and security for the Dogecoin network.

“The proposal transforms Dogecoin from [a] simple payments chain to a powerful base layer, kickstarting a wave of developer activity,” Jordan Jefferson, founder of DogeOS, told Decrypt. “For the first time, builders will be able to launch scalable apps, games, and DeFi protocols that settle back to DOGE. It opens the door to zk-rollups, bridging, and new use cases that simply weren’t possible before.”

Dogecoin is the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, the second largest proof-of-work chain behind Bitcoin, and what many consider the first ever meme coin. Despite its cultural significance, the Dogecoin blockchain has fewer daily active addresses than networks like Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, and Litecoin, per TradingView.

If the proposed soft fork upgrade to the network passes, it could see that figure rise as more capabilities are handed to developers. Jefferson said that DogeOS has already seen “significant interest” in developing on Dogecoin from hundreds of teams, and believes the upgrade will help onboard these developers.

A zero-knowledge proof is a way of proving that something is true without revealing the information directly. As a result, the upgrade would bolster the network’s privacy capabilities. Zero-knowledge rollups would also allow for the creation of Dogecoin layer-2 scaling networks for the first time for the meme coin blockchain.

“Dogecoin will be able to rival smart contract platforms like Ethereum [and] Solana,” Jefferson said. “That’s a massive shift: From a single-purpose coin to a platform that can support entire DeFi, gaming, and identity ecosystems, all while retaining Dogecoin’s simplicity, low fees, and community ethos.”

DogeOS is developing an EVM-compatible layer-2 network, which it refers to as an app layer, for Dogecoin. Without the upgrade, layer-2 networks cannot be created on Dogecoin, and it would be a major stumbling block for the project. But it’s not just DogeOS behind the proposal; even the Dogecoin Foundation is supporting it.

“Dogecoin gaining the ability to integrate with ZK L2s is the kind of interoperability we need to build ecosystem utility, allowing the L1 to focus on being the fastest, best, most fun blockchain and means of exchange for all humanity,” Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation, said in a release.

However, this is just the start of the process for potentially upgrading the meme coin network. 

As Dogecoin does not have a formal on-chain governance process, the proposal will be passed through a series of contributor technical reviews, community discussions, and testing via GitHub. After this, the upgrade will be deployed on the testnet as security audits commence. Once everyone is happy, Dogecoin miners will be signaled to process the soft fork upgrade.