Uniswap V4 goes live, with swaps rolling out across the next few days

Uniswap Labs officially released version 4 of the Uniswap protocol, turning the protocol into a developer platform.

Uniswap v4 is operational on multiple blockchain networks including Ethereum, Arbitrum, OP Mainnet and Base, according to a blog post . Users can now provide liquidity on v4 through the Uniswap web app, and swapping functionality will be gradually rolled out over the coming days across web and wallet platforms.

Uniswap v4 changes the protocol into a developer platform, thanks to the introduction of "hooks." These are contracts that allow developers to customize interactions within pools, swaps, fees, and liquidity provider (LP) positions. Hooks open the door to new features, potentially driving deeper liquidity and enabling more swaps.

The protocol also builds upon the capital efficiency gains of Uniswap V3 by introducing several architectural improvements and features. One of the most notable changes is the implementation of a "singleton" liquidity architecture, which consolidates liquidity through a single smart contract. This change aims to provide faster transactions, lower gas fees, and an improved user experience.

With the launch of v4, liquidity providers are encouraged to migrate their liquidity to the new version or create new positions that utilize hooks. For swappers, v4 routing will be integrated into Uniswap products in the coming days, with swaps automatically routing through liquidity pools across UniswapX, v2, v3, and v4.

Uniswap v4 underwent nine audits, a security competition, and a $15.5 million bug bounty program, which found zero critical vulnerabilities.

Last week, Uniswap Labs said V4 would start being rolled out that week and finalized this week. Uniswap developers had  planned to roll out Uniswap v4 in 2024, but it was delayed due to multiple code audits and security competitions.