How Can a ZkEVM Improve the Ethereum Ecosystem?Table of Contents
How Can a ZkEVM Improve the Ethereum Ecosystem?
By CoinUnited.io Research Team
3 min read
ZkEVMs on Ethereum expand the capabilities of zk-rollups to support decentralized apps (DApps).
In order to improve the Ethereum ecosystem, zkEVMs make it simple to deploy both new and current Ethereum applications utilizing ZKPs.
When the Ethereum network was initially suggested in 2014, ZKP technology was not taken into account. But in recent years, ZKP has become increasingly well-known and is anticipated to take center stage in the blockchain industry. Therefore, attempts to integrate ZKP technology with Ethereum's virtual machine have been more serious. Let's first quickly study the two basic ideas of a zkEVM: zk-rollups and EVM, in order to comprehend what it is.
Several transaction executions outside the main chain are combined into a single transaction and sent back to the main network as part of a rollup, which is a scalability solution. For the price of confirming a single transaction, transactions inside a rollup are compacted and sent to the Ethereum mainnet on the Ethereum platform. The Ethereum mainnet validates the transaction data in the rollup and offers settlement services. ZKP technology, a cryptographic mechanism that enables the authenticity of a piece of information to be confirmed without disclosing the information itself, is used in a zk-rollup, which is a sort of low. Zk-rollups just need state differences (such as changes in user account status) and validity evidence, which lowers gas costs because they do not require publishing full transaction data to the Ethereum mainnet. ZKP cryptography, in which cryptographic techniques are employed to verify proof and establish trustlessness, provides the security of zk-rollups. This is distinct from other rollups like optimistic rollups, whose security stems from economic game theory and where challengers are driven by incentives while bad actors are disincentivised by prospective losses.
The Ethereum account system and smart contracts are managed by the EVM, which is a state machine. The EVM switches from one state to another after each smart contract execution. The formula for computing new and valid states from one block to the next is defined by the EVM. It is a Merkle Patricia Trie data structure that depicts the state of Ethereum at the moment and makes it possible for anybody to follow the trail of transaction data from the current block all the way back to the genesis block. Each node can view the precise current state thanks to the consensus mechanisms used to maintain Ethereum.
ZKPs are not by default supported by EVM. While giving evidence that all of the information is accurate, zkEVM seeks to guarantee Ethereum state continuity. In this manner, security and privacy are maintained while the many factors used in the computation of these procedures are confirmed. It starts with the starting state, calculates every transaction, and then outputs an updated state with a corresponding ZKP. This evidence is sent to a validator smart contract, which examines the accuracy of both the original state and the new output without having to verify each transaction separately. Developers may simply transfer Ethereum DApps and smart contracts to zkEVMs without having to conduct ZKP development work because zkEVMs are based on the EVM. In addition to low token swaps and payments that were previously possible without zkEVMs, zkEVMs also enable zk-rollups to execute smart contracts. Due to EVM's compatibility feature, developers may build new products using Solidity, an existing EVM programming language, while taking advantage of the increased security offered by zkEVM. Users may continue utilizing the same DApps and well-known tools while still enjoying increased security and privacy.
The term "EVM-compatible" refers to a blockchain's ability to support the deployment of DApps created using the Solidity programming language. For creating smart contracts that function on the Ethereum network, Solidity was created. In reality, Ethereum developers may deploy existing DApps on other EVM-compatible chains with little to no modification by just copying and pasting the code from Ethereum. For users, their Ethereum address is the same as any chain address that is EVM-compatible. Major chains that are EVM-compatible at the moment are Polygon, BNB Chain, and Avalanche C-Chain. EVM equivalency should not be mistaken with EVM compatibility, which implies that from the standpoint of a DApp developer, Layer 2 rollups are quite similar to Layer 1 Ethereum. If a user's prior computer and new computer both run on Apple's operating system, EVM equivalency is comparable to restoring files and settings using Apple Cloud, to use an operating system comparison. In contrast, EVM compatibility necessitates that the original data be obtained through cloud storage and converted in order to recover previous files and preferred settings whenever a new machine changes to a Windows operating system.
Due to the fact that ZKP technology was not intended to be supported by Ethereum, directly generating and validating ZKPs using EVM is quite slow. It can take many hours in some circumstances. Striking a balance between EVM compatibility and ZKP effectiveness is necessary, though. They each have various tradeoffs between ZKP performance efficiency and EVM compatibility, much like the blockchain trilemma.
The chain state and transactions of a Type 1 zkEVM, often referred to as an enshrined rollup, are the same as those of Ethereum at the consensus level. They may directly interact with Ethereum execution clients and mutually verify blocks. Ethereum itself is more scalable because to Type 1 zkEVMs, which may be added right to the Ethereum mainnet. The drawback of ZKP is that it has very low efficiency and needs a lot of computation to validate. The best type of zkEVM would be one with a high ZK efficiency, or type 1. Many projects are now being built or investigated for this kind of zkEVM.
Type 2 is not Ethereum, although it is entirely equal to the EVM. In terms of data structures (such as block structure and state tree), it is different from Ethereum and deletes several stack operations that are not ZK-friendly. It is completely compatible with Ethereum's current development infrastructure, debugging tools, and DApps. Bytecode-level equivalency can, if barely, shorten prover times. Type 2's obvious drawbacks are its high cost, lack of ZK synergy, and low and costly efficiency.
The benefits and drawbacks of Type 2 are shared by Type 2.5, which has somewhat lower gas prices.
Using Type 2 as a foundation, Type 3 further gives up compatibility for increased ZK effectiveness. Some of the coding used in DApps that depend on this function has to be changed since it deletes functions that are hard to implement on zkEVM, including precompiles.
The main goal of the zkEVM implementation is to expand DApps to all EVM-compatible protocols by supporting ZKP computation during smart contract execution. However, ZKPs' uses don't end here. There is a chance that ZKP technology will work with Web2 use cases. ZKP might be used with different Web2 use cases to make Web3 apps more slick and user-friendly. Additionally, it would allow users who are accustomed to using conventional Internet browsers access to Web3 and, as a result, promote Web3 adoption.
It is not meant to suggest the purchase of a particular item or service and should not be interpreted as financial, legal, or other professional advice. Your investment's value might increase or decrease, and you could not get your money back. This information is not intended to be used as advice from a financial, legal, or other expert.
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