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Gaurang (GT) Torvekar Follow

Jan 18 · 9 min read · · Listen

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Top 6 zkEVM Projects: The Key to Ethereum’s

Scalable Future
Unlocking the true potential of Ethereum with 6 ZkEVM projects for scalability and
privacy

Layer 2 scaling is one of the most critical issues in the blockchain industry, and we
need to develop robust solutions before the next crypto bull run! Early 2022 saw a lot of
issues with the Ethereum L1 getting clogged with thousands and thousands of
transactions, causing a lot of frustration for the NFT buyers and Defi traders. One of
the most innovative and sought-after solutions is zkEVMs!
 Scaling Ethereum

What is a zkEVM?
A zkEVM (Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine) is a variant of the Ethereum
Virtual Machine (EVM) that allows for the creation and execution of smart contracts in
a zero-knowledge setting.

A zkEVM allows for the execution of smart contracts in a way that preserves the
privacy of the contract terms and the data involved in the contract. This is achieved
through zero-knowledge proofs, which are cryptographic proofs that allow one party
to prove to another party that a statement is true without revealing any additional
information about the statement.

There are various zkEVMs, and it is essential to distinguish among them. While each of
these types strives to build the best zkEVM, they all try to achieve this goal differently.

1. Type 1 (Fully Ethereum — equivalent) — These zkEVMs do not change any part of
the Ethereum system and strive to be fully equivalent. Examples include Taiko, and
PSE.

2. Type 2 (Fully EVM — equivalent) — These zkEVMs look exactly like Ethereum but
differ in ways, like data structure and state trees. Examples include Scroll and
Polygon Hermez.

3. Type 2.5 (EVM — equivalent, except for gas costs) — These zkEVMs significantly
increase the gas costs to cater to specific operations in the EVM that are very
difficult to zk-prove. These might break some developer tooling, so developers
need to take care while deploying dApps here.

4. Type 3 (almost EVM-equivalent) — These zkEVMs are almost EVM-equivalent, but

they must make a few sacrifices and remove those features that are difficult to
implement in a zkEVM system. Very few projects WANT to be Type 3, and it should
be considered as a transitional state until they move to Type 2.5 or Type 2

5. Type 4 (high-level-language equivalent) — These zkEVMs are compatible at the

language level (Solidity, Vyper). They take the Smart Contracts written in these
languages and make it possible to be compiled in another language used to build
the zkEVM system. Currently, zkSync is one such implementation of zkEVMs.

You can find a more in-depth technical explanation and the advantages and
disadvantages of each type of zkEVMs in Vitalik’s blog here.

What is a zk-rollup?
A zk-rollup is a type of Layer 2 scaling solution for blockchain networks. It allows
transactions to be processed off-chain and then “rolled up” into a single on-chain
transaction, reducing the load on the main blockchain and increasing the transaction
throughput.
In a zk-rollup, transactions are processed by a set of validators responsible for
ensuring the correctness of the transactions. These validators create a zero-knowledge
proof, which is a cryptographic proof that a statement is true without revealing any
additional information about the statement. The zero-knowledge proof is then added
to the on-chain transaction, allowing the transaction to be verified without needing
each transaction to be processed on the main blockchain.

zkEVMs vs zk-rollups
One key difference between zk-rollups and zkEVMs is that a zk-rollup is focused on
scalability, while zkEVM is focused on privacy. A zk-rollup allows for a large number of
transactions to be processed off-chain while still maintaining the security and integrity
of the Ethereum main chain. On the other hand, zkEVM allows for the execution of
smart contracts in a privacy-preserving manner, allowing for the creation of private,
confidential transactions on the Ethereum platform.

Both zk-rollup and zkEVM are significant innovations that can help to improve the
scalability and privacy of Ethereum. They both have the potential to significantly
enhance the capabilities of the Ethereum platform and make it more useful for a wide
range of applications.

Having understood the basics of zkEVMs and zk-rollups, let’s take a closer look at the
different projects implementing zkEVMs.

zkSync
zkSync is a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, which aims to increase the scalability
and speed of the Ethereum network. It is based on zero-knowledge proofs, which allow
transactions to be verified without revealing the underlying data. This allows zkSync to
process transactions off-chain, which means that they are not recorded on the
Ethereum blockchain itself. Instead, they are recorded on a separate, off-chain data
structure called a “Merkle tree.”
One of the key features of zkSync is its use of “optimistic” transfers, which allow users
to send and receive transactions without waiting for them to be confirmed on the
Ethereum blockchain. This significantly reduces transaction times and allows for
much higher transaction throughput.

In addition to using zero-knowledge proofs and optimistic transfers, zkSync also

utilizes several other technologies to increase scalability and security. These include
signature aggregation, which allows for the compression of multiple signatures into a
single signature, and multi-chain support, which helps zkSync to interact with other
blockchain networks.

Overall, zkSync aims to provide a scalable and secure platform for decentralized
applications (dApps) and other Ethereum-based projects. By allowing for faster and
more efficient transactions, it aims to make it easier for developers to build and deploy
dApps, and for users to interact with them.

One of the main challenges faced by zkSync is the need to balance scalability with
security. While using zero-knowledge proofs and other technologies allows for faster
and more efficient transactions, it also introduces additional complexity and potential
vulnerabilities. As such, zkSync is constantly working to improve and refine its
technology to ensure it is as secure and robust as possible.

Despite these challenges, zkSync has made significant progress since its launch in 2020
and has already gained a strong following among developers and users. Its unique
approach to scaling Ethereum has attracted considerable attention and investment,
and it has the potential to play a significant role in the future development of the
Ethereum ecosystem.

Starkware StarkNet
Starkware is a project that has developed a protocol called StarkNet. StarkNet is a layer-
2 scaling solution that aims to increase the efficiency and scalability of blockchains,
particularly those that use smart contracts.

One key feature of StarkNet is its use of STARKs, which are zero-knowledge proof
systems that allow users to prove the correctness of a computation without revealing
the underlying data. This allows for greater privacy and security on the network and
the ability to perform complex computations without the need for a trusted third party.

StarkNet also utilizes sharding, a technique that allows a blockchain to be split into
multiple smaller chains, or “shards,” that can be processed in parallel. This allows for
greater throughput and faster transaction times, as each shard can be processed
independently of the others.

One of the main goals of StarkNet is to enable the creation of decentralized finance
(DeFi) applications on a mass scale. DeFi apps often rely on smart contracts and other
complex computations, which can strain the underlying blockchain and limit its
scalability. By using StarkNet, DeFi developers can create more efficient and scalable
applications that can handle a larger volume of transactions.

StarkNet has already been integrated with several popular blockchains, including
Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polkadot. This allows developers to build DeFi
applications on top of these platforms using StarkNet without worrying about
scalability issues.

In addition to its focus on DeFi, StarkNet is also being used in various other
applications, including supply chain management, voting systems, and even medical
research. The versatility and scalability of the protocol make it an attractive choice for
a wide range of use cases.

Overall, Starkware’s StarkNet protocol represents a significant advancement in

blockchain technology. Its use of STARKs and sharding allows for greater efficiency,
privacy, and scalability, making it an ideal solution for various applications,
particularly those in the DeFi space.

Polygon Hermez
The Polygon blockchain project has recently introduced a new technology called the
Hermez zkEVM. This technology is designed to improve the scalability and privacy of
the Ethereum blockchain.

The Hermez zkEVM aims to address the scalability issue of the Ethereum blockchain
by using zero-knowledge proofs to allow for faster and cheaper transactions on the
Ethereum network. In the context of the Hermez zkEVM, zero-knowledge proofs can
be used to verify the correctness of transactions without disclosing specific details.
This allows for faster transaction processing and reduced fees, as there is no need for
the entire network to validate each transaction.

In addition to improving scalability, the Hermez zkEVM also enhances the privacy of
the Ethereum network. By using zero-knowledge proofs, the Hermez zkEVM allows for
confidential transactions that hide the specific details of a transaction from all parties
except the sender and the recipient. This can be useful for various applications, such
as allowing individuals to make financial transactions without revealing their identity
or allowing companies to conduct business without disclosing sensitive financial
information. As mentioned earlier in the various types of zkEVMs, this
implementation by Polygon is compatible at the bytecode-level rather than at the
language level.

The Hermez zkEVM is a promising development for the Ethereum network and the
broader blockchain community. By improving scalability and privacy, it has the
potential to make the Ethereum network more attractive for a wide range of dApps and
use cases. It will be interesting to see how this technology is adopted and how it may
impact the future development of the Ethereum network and other blockchain
platforms.

Scroll
Scroll is a decentralized protocol that aims to bring scalability and increased security
to the Ethereum blockchain. One of the key features of Scroll is its use of zk-rollups, a
type of layer 2 scaling solution that allows for faster and cheaper transactions while
maintaining the security of the main blockchain.

In a zk-rollup, transactions are bundled together and verified by a smart contract on

the main blockchain. This allows for a much higher transaction throughput, as the
burden of verifying each individual transaction is removed from the main chain and
placed onto the rollup contract.

Scroll specifically focuses on creating an EVM-compatible zk-rollup, which means it

can support the same programming languages and smart contracts as Ethereum. This
is important because it allows developers to easily migrate their existing applications
to the Scroll network without making any changes to their code.

Overall, Scroll is a promising project working to bring the benefits of zk-rollups to the
Ethereum ecosystem. By creating an EVM-compatible solution, Scroll can offer
developers a simple way to scale their applications and take advantage of the increased
security and efficiency of zk-rollups. As the Ethereum network continues to grow and
the demand for scalable solutions increases, projects like Scroll will play a crucial role
in the evolution of the blockchain industry.

Consensys and Infura

ConsenSys and Infura, two of the most prominent names in the Ethereum ecosystem,
are working on a new version of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) called zkEVM.
This project aims to improve the scalability of Ethereum, which has been a significant
challenge for the platform.

ConsenSys and Infura are working on integrating zkEVM into the Ethereum mainnet,
allowing it to be used by anyone on the network. This is an exciting development for
the Ethereum community, as it has the potential to address some of the scalability
challenges that have held the platform back in the past.

While the company hasn’t released many details about this project, their
implementation approach and other things, this remains one of the most exciting
projects for developers to follow. Consensys has built some of the core infrastructure
that underpins the Ethereum ecosystem, and there would be no surprise if this zkEVM
implementation becomes one of the most popular among the crowd.

Taiko
Taiko brands itself as a “Type 1 zkEVM — Fully decentralized, Ethereum-equivalent zk-
rollup” on its website. They claim that being a Type 1 zkEVM is one of the major
differentiators compared to the other projects on this list. They make almost no
changes to the Ethereum architecture, which includes the hash function, state trees or
gas costs. By doing this, they can reuse the execution client implementations with as
few modifications as possible. One of the main advantages of using a Type 1 zkEVM
like Taiko is the ease of migration without many changes to your code. For example,
you can deploy on the Ethereum L1 and then migrate to Taiko. On the other hand, you
could also first deploy on Taiko and then migrate to any other EVM-compatible chain
afterwards.

Daniel Wang is the founder of Taiko, who was previously the founder of Loopring until
he stepped down from that position in 2021. This happened just before the Loopring
deal with Gamestop. While there was some speculation in the community as to why
this happened, there has never been any bad blood between the two.

If you are looking for expert advice for your next blockchain project, or Smart
Contract consultants, check out my website.

Disclaimer
This is NOT a Financial Advice!

All the views mentioned in this article are the author’s perspectives. The author does
not imply anything, directly or indirectly, about the token value or cryptocurrency
prices related to any of these technologies. The author also does not solicit or
recommend any cryptocurrency to invest in.

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