ZK is the endgame? One picture to understand: How zero knowledge proofs can change blockchain Recently, the trend of various project parties collectively changing their avatars and joining Little Penguin has flooded the screen, which inevitably gives people the impression of working together to get things done. The last time this happened was probably 'ZK is the end game', and every Web3 person knows/has heard of ZK to some extent. In order to help my friends better understand the current status of the ZK track, I have compiled a ten-year development history of zero knowledge proof x blockchain. The ZK track project that I am most optimistic about at this stage is @ boundless_xyz Let's get started! 🗓️ The development process of zero knowledge proof in the field of blockchain 🔹 Phase 1: 2014~2016: Initial Integration of ZKP and Blockchain 2014: ZKP began to receive attention Vitalik Buterin et al. began exploring the possibility of zk SNARKs in Ethereum; Zk SNARKs is a zero knowledge proof system that eliminates the need for interaction by using common random numbers or hash functions. More suitable for blockchain scenarios. ZKP is considered a potential privacy technology. 2016: Zcash goes live (historic moment) Zcash is the first project to truly utilize zk SNARK for mainnets. Implemented completely anonymous transactions (address and amount are not visible). Dependent on Trusted Setup. 🔹 Phase 2: 2017~2019: ZKP Technology Open Source and Performance Optimization Zero knowledge proof frameworks are beginning to emerge: Open source libraries such as libsnark and Bellman have been launched; More project research on how to generate proofs faster and validate them cheaper. The project is starting to attempt second tier applications: StarkWare, Aztec, ZKSync, and others have started researching zkRollup; StarkWare launches zk STARK, which does not rely on trusted settings and is resistant to quantum attacks; Bulletproofs have been adopted by Monero for more compact privacy transactions. 🔹 Phase 3: 2020~2021: ZKP practicality and zkRollup explosion ZkRollup has become a popular route for scaling: zkRollup moves a large amount of computation off chain and only puts proofs on chain; Implemented "security+low cost+high throughput". Representative project: ZKSync: Based on zk SNARK, supports transfers and transactions; Loopring: Supports zkRollup DEX; StarkEx: StarkWare's high-performance zkRollup engine; Aztec 2.0: Building a Privacy Smart Contract System with ZKP. 🔹 Phase 4: 2022~2023: zkEVM and General Computing ZkEVM appears: Move Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to ZKP ZkEVM allows developers to continue using Solidity to write contracts; Every instruction running on EVM can be 'proven'. Mainstream zkEVM route: Polygon zkEVM: Highly compatible with Solidity ZKSync Era: High performance, gradually improving compatibility Scroll: Try to be compatible with Ethereum clients as much as possible Taiko: Complete equivalence (objective) Other innovations: ZkVM (such as Risc Zero): combines general computing with ZKP; zkWASM：WebAssembly + ZKP， Expand Web3 applications. 🔹 Current stage: 2024~2025: ZKP engineering, modularization, and AI integration Various ZKDSLs (Circom, Noir, Leo, Juvix) are mature; ZKP toolchain supports mainstream languages such as Rust, C, Solidity, etc; Combining with AI: providing reliable ZK proofs for model inference and data input; Representative case: Boundless @ boundless_xyz: Commercialization and marketization of zero knowledge proofs, building a decentralized computing incentive network Kaito Boudless @blockTVBee @sanyi_eth_ @wenxue600 @0xNing0x