Original article by Phil Kelly, o1labs
Original translation: YBB Capital Erin
Preface
Minas major upgrade brings innovative zero-knowledge use cases, introducing the ability to execute smart contracts offline in client environments (such as browsers or servers). This article explores the importance of zkApps (zk-enabled applications), their potential impact on Web3, and the key role of Minas upcoming Berkeley upgrade.
In the rapidly evolving Web3 space, recent breakthroughs in zero-knowledge have ushered in a new era. From faster rollups and light clients to bridging technology, advances in zk infrastructure have been gaining attention. But we believe that a truly game-changing capability has emerged - fully offline execution of smart contracts in client environments such as browsers or servers.
Transfer to off-chain
How is this possible? The key to this innovation is the use of zk application (zkApp) code to make smart contracts. This code ensures tamper-proof execution and can prove the correctness of operations to third parties without introducing new trust assumptions, essentially mirroring the functionality of on-chain smart contracts.
The impact of these zk-enabled applications is far-reaching. By moving the execution of smart contracts off-chain, many challenges associated with on-chain execution, such as gas costs, data limitations, scaling limitations, and time lags, can be overcome. In addition, zkApps can enhance privacy protection, allowing sensitive information such as age to be verified without revealing accurate personal details such as date of birth.
The launch of zkApps will unleash a wave of innovation, breathe new life into the cypherpunk spirit of Web3, and revive ideas that were once considered unattainable in the past 5-10 years.
Anchoring on the chain
Although zkApps have off-chain functionality, anchoring the chain is still crucial. After more than two years of development, Minas Berkeley upgrade has entered the final stages of preparation. Why do zkApps need chains? Because off-chain zkApp proofs need to be verified, and using the chain can bring several trusted verification advantages:
Automatic verification by professional neutral verifiers on the chain itself
Automatically trigger subsequent actions based on verification results (e.g., when you prove you are over 18, your DeFi account will be opened and the transaction will be completed)
Permanently store verification information for future data reference
Connectivity to other chains
The reality is that the verification process between off-chain smart contracts and on-chain verification may sound like a less sexy step, and if it is missed, the advantages of the off-chain approach will be quickly weakened. Without a purpose-built chain like Mina, smart contract verification can become large, complex, and expensive, so Mina was built from the beginning to handle zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). After the Berkeley upgrade, the Mina blockchain will be a great place to verify off-chain application proofs. Why Mina will be a great place to verify zkApps?
There is no gas cost, no matter how big or small the off-chain smart contract is, the cost of verifying the on-chain proof is always low;
Mina’s tiny state means that in the near future, a full node should be able to run in a user’s browser, allowing proofs to be submitted without using a third-party remote procedure call (RPC) protocol — perfect for privacy.
Minas tiny state also means it can be expressed on other chains via state proof-based bridges (no token hacking required), so Mina can serve as a modular proof layer for all of Web3. Among many other features, this allows you to write your zk application once, verify the output once on Mina, and then bridge the verification to multiple other chains. This is an instant, multi-chain DApp era.
Its verification can be done directly on the EVM chain, but in the field of software applications, we all know that can does not mean should. So in theory, EVM can also be used as the data availability (DA) layer and decentralized sorter of other chains, but the Web3 world has proven that modularity is the way to achieve these professional functions, and verification proof is a highly specialized function.
Off-chain revolution
Let’s get back to the application code and look ahead to the rest of 2024. We at o1Labs are looking forward to a surge in innovation in applications and use cases driven by zk-off-chain computation. This off-chain revolution brings several exciting possibilities:
Gas-free computation: zk-chain computation allows computation of any size to be performed without gas fees and trust;
Verifiable privacy: Client-side zk ensures widespread availability of verifiable privacy;
Use of Web2 data: Use multi-party computation (MPC) and ZK for notarization to make daily use of Web2 data possible;
Simple building of zkApps: New domain-specific languages (DSLs) such as o1js, using TypeScript, enable developers to quickly and easily build zk applications.
o1js : Making zk code accessible off-chain
In the past, it was possible to build zk code off-chain, but it has always been difficult. o1js makes it easy. By leveraging TypeScript, o1js provides a high-level, intuitive language that makes it easier for you to deploy and maintain. Since o1js supports WebAssembly (WASM) capabilities, your zkApp can also run seamlessly in the users browser. In addition, you can use o1js s recursive capabilities to aggregate and compress multiple proofs from off-chain calculations into a small proof.
o1js has been available since 2022 and it is not only maturing but also gaining new capabilities. An exciting recent round of enhancements to the base functionality of o1js has enabled zk applications to handle a wider range of inputs. Examples include:
Release ECDSA and Keccak processing primitives so you can use Ethereum data feeds signed by MetaMask;
Support for SHA-256 encryption, which is the basis for many data sources in the Web2 world (such as passport data);
Notarization and witness primitives, which enable information in a Web2 session to become attested data (e.g. your bank account balance). More on this soon!
Join the zkApp Revolution
The emergence of zkApps on Mina marks a pivotal moment in the development of Web3, unlocking areas of possibility that were once considered unrealistic. We are excited to see what happens after the Berkeley upgrade.
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