Note: The original text is from bankless, authored by Alex Beckett.

Don't believe the FUD, Ethereum is scaling.

A few weeks ago, David wrote an article titled "Ultra Scalable Ethereum".

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Figure: CPUs and GPUs undergo the same monolithic-to-modular design transition to dramatically improve scalability

Today we will delve into the execution layer, which is where most of us participate in DeFi today, but tomorrow, the execution layer will be rollup.

And as you learn more about rollups, you'll start to realize that not all rollups are created equal.

As of now, two types of rollups stand out, zkRollup and optimistic rollup.

Today we will focus on zkRollup — a rollup design that uses zero-knowledge cryptography proofs to verify transactions.

Let's not talk about technical details, but compare Matter Labs and Starkware, two zkRollup solutions supported by huge VC funds.

Zero-knowledge cryptography is the cutting edge, and general purpose zkRollup is the holy grail of Ethereum scaling.

So when will zkRollup come?

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zkRollups: Comparing Matter Labs and Starkware

Ethereum has long faced challenges implementing scaling solutions, and after years of research and development, the Ethereum developer community has shifted to a rollup-centric roadmap.

But not all rollups are the same, and today we will focus on zkRollups.

The two leading teams competing in the zkRollup space are Matter Labs and Starkware. Matter labs has zkSync 1.0 and zkSync 2.0, while StarkWare has StarkEx and StarkNet.

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Rollup background

Rollup is a scaling solution that works by bundling transactions together, compressing them, and sending them to the consensus layer for validation. This improves efficiency by validating multiple transactions at once, while also allowing for scaling by increasing the number of transactions that can be executed.

Suddenly Ethereum can scale tps from 15 to 3000+ without sacrificing security.

In particular, compared to optimistic rollup, zkRollup is able to integrate privacy into rollup using zero-knowledge proof technology. Zero-knowledge achieves privacy by allowing one party to prove something to another without disclosing the information needed to prove it. However, not all zkRollups exploit the privacy properties of zero-knowledge proof techniques.

In addition, more users conducting zkRollup transactions will make the cost of using the network lower, which is the opposite of a typical blockchain. In general, as the network usage increases, the cost of using the blockchain will decrease. become more expensive.

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zkRollup deployed on the Ethereum mainnet

StarkEx is a zkRollup launched by StarkWare in June 2020, which supports general-purpose smart contracts (general-purpose here means that smart contracts have the function of running arbitrary logic). Applications can be deployed on StarkEx and take advantage of the scalability of zkRollup while providing a similar or even better user experience to Ethereum.

To date, StarkEx has processed 42 million transactions and $185 billion in cumulative transaction volume through the four protocols it hosts (dYdX, ImmutableX, DeversiFi, and Sorare).

Because rollups are deployed on Ethereum, because they will be limited by the limitations of Ethereum, StarkEx has introduced a new system called validium to provide cheaper options for applications and users.

Validium's mechanism is very similar to zkRollup, the only difference is that data availability in zkRollup is on-chain, while Validium keeps it off-chain. This allows Validium to achieve higher throughput.

- Alex Gluchowski

Validium transaction fees are so cheap that in practice they have been abstracted away by the protocol on StarkEx. ImmutableX is one such example, with $0 gas fees for both minting and trading NFTs, while Ethereum’s NFT transaction fees are between $20-250. DiversiFi also offers $0 gas fees, enabling it to follow a centralized exchange-type fee structure.

StarkEx also has a SHARP function, which allows batches of rollup transactions from multiple applications to be aggregated into one transaction and immediately published to Ethereum. It is currently running with DeversiFi and Sorare, enabling them to further reduce operating costs for users .

zkSync

zkSync is a zkRollup layer-2 network created by Matter Labs. It is built for scalable payments. Users can deposit funds into the network and interact with other zkSync accounts. The cost is only a fraction of the Ethereum mainnet part. Since the mainnet launch in June 2020, zkSync has processed 4 million transactions with transfer fees as low as $0.20.

User transactions can be paid with any supported token (e.g. ETH, DAI, RAI) as well as the token being transferred without holding a specific fee token. As of now, the total TVL of all zkSync deposits is $24 million.

The peak load the zkSync network has experienced so far was during the Gitcoin grant period, at around 20,000 transactions per hour (TPS 5.6), and while this is considerably less than the 18,000 transfers demonstrated by StarkEx, it lasted a full hour.

In July of this year, zkSync also added the function of NFT, and users can use it to mint, exchange and transfer NFT.

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Compare Testnet Products

StarkNet

StarkNet is StarkWare's next iteration of zkRollup, and according to the plan, they will launch the StarkNet alpha mainnet this month. This could make it the first zkRollup to offer general-purpose smart contracts on a fully composable network, a feat thought to be years away.

The so-called composability refers to the ability of applications to coordinate, build on each other and interconnect. As of now, zkRollup with smart contract functions like StarkEx does not have the ability to make applications composable.

StarkNet’s testnet has enabled general smart contracts since June and composability since August. Application deployment is permissionless, so anyone can write smart contracts and publish them on the testnet using the native programming language Cairo. StarkWare provides a simple DEX to demonstrate the capabilities of StarkNet in partnership with dOrg.

To provide a development experience similar to Ethereum, the Warp team demonstrated the ability to compile Ethereum EVM code into StarkNet contracts.

zkSync 2.0

zkSync 2.0 is the next version of the initial zkSync network, which aims to enable fully composable smart contracts on zkRollup. In October of this year, the zkSync 2.0 testnet was launched, and Curve Finance became the initial test application.

ZkSync 2.0 also introduces the zkEVM testnet, a virtual machine that simulates the Ethereum environment, which allows Ethereum smart contracts to be deployed on zkRollup. It is reported that the project party has demonstrated the functionality of the zkEVM testnet through UniSync (a fork of Uniswap V2).

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text

Roadmaps are important for identifying future goals and goals for simplifying complex journeys. Both StarkNet and ZKSync 2.0 have roadmap visions showing their goals, and both are moving towards the ultimate goal of being secure, stable, and fully decentralized.

StarkNet

The roadmap for StarkNet has four steps:

Step 0 – Basics✅

Step 1 – Planet: Single app rollup ✅

Step 2 – Constellation: Multi-app rollup

Step 3 – Cosmos: Decentralized rollup

The initial steps that lay the groundwork for StarkNet's construction include the Cairo programming language and SHARP, which allow developers to build smart contracts using a zkRollup-optimized language while sharing the cost.

Step 2 is the current phase StarkWare is building, and it will be completed with the release of the StarkNet mainnet in November - marking the release of StarkNet as a fully composable zkRollup supporting general-purpose smart contracts.

The final step is StarkNet's transition to a fully decentralized, permissionless rollup. This will not be done at the same time as the initial mainnet launch, as the system will still be in alpha testing to ensure any vulnerabilities can be mitigated without damaging the system. In the initial mainnet launch, StarkNet will run a unique orderer and perform permissioned smart contract deployment. Once StarkWare deems StarkNet secure enough, it will complete decentralization.

zkSync

Phase 1 of the zkSync roadmap begins with the deployment of zkSync — a zkRollup focused on scalable payments.

Phase 2 plans to develop composable smart contracts on a new network called zkSync 2.0, which is expected to launch on mainnet sometime in the next few months. At the same time, a new programming language, Zinc, will serve as the native language for smart contracts.

zkSync 2.0 will also introduce zkPorter, a PoS chain that allows zkSync 2.0 users to publish transaction data on zkPorter instead of Ethereum, enabling higher transaction throughput. Since zkPorter transactions are not subject to Ethereum transaction fees, it promises to be a cheaper alternative.

in conclusion

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in conclusion

Both StarkWare and Matter Labs offer cutting-edge networks in the form of zkRollups that are pushing the boundaries of blockchain scaling, privacy, and efficient cryptography.

For the network you can use right now, StarkEx has four apps, DyDx and DiversiFi for transactions, and ImmutableX and Sorre for NFTs. And zkSync is suitable for simple transfers and NFT transactions.

In contrast, StarkEx has proven itself to be the most commonly used zkRollup, with a cumulative transaction volume of $185 billion and a verifiable transaction capability of 9000 TPS, and its data is more than 10 times that of zkSync, Optimism, and Arbitrum. With the launch of StarkNet this month, StarkWare will also launch a fully composable general-purpose smart contract, zkRollup, which many believe is still a few years away.

This article comes from Tao of Yuan Universe, reproduced with authorization.

This article comes from Tao of Yuan Universe, reproduced with authorization.