Polygon Miden : The Next Big ZK Rollup For 2023?

Introducing Polygon Miden

Polygon Miden, a general purpose, STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) based, EVM (Etheruem Virtual Machine) compatible, ZK (Zero Knowledge) rollup with client-side proving, that stands as a pivotal addition to Polygon’s zero-knowledge toolkit, poised to shape the future of value exchange on the internet. In this inaugural blog of a series, we delve into the foundations of Polygon Miden, its design philosophy, and its transformative features, catering to both newcomers and tech enthusiasts.

Extending Ethereum's Horizons

At its core, Polygon Miden strives to expand Ethereum's potential by leveraging rollups – a mechanism that focuses on scalability while inheriting Ethereum's security and decentralisation aspects. Unlike conventional rollups, Polygon Miden places ZK-friendliness ahead of EVM compatibility, allowing developers to craft applications that were previously challenging to realize on traditional systems.

Three-Dimensional Growth : Scalability, Safety, and Privacy

1. Scalability : By redefining blockchain design, Polygon Miden achieves unparalleled scalability. While conventional blockchains rely on transparent re-execution, Miden introduces zero-knowledge proofs to verify transactions without re-execution. This monumental shift enables users to generate proofs locally, drastically accelerating verification. Notably, users can locally execute and prove complex smart contracts, paving the way for cost-effective and intricate computations.

2. Safety : Polygon Miden's safety-centric approach safeguards assets and interactions. Through an account abstraction model, each account is a smart contract, fostering features like key recovery and transaction risk analysis. Asynchronous execution permits recallable transactions, mitigating risks associated with wrong addresses. Storing assets locally thwarts exploit attempts, while supporting modern safe contract languages reinforces security.

3. Privacy : In a groundbreaking stride, Polygon Miden enshrines privacy as a fundamental right. Beyond private transactions, it introduces expressive private smart contracts. These local executions retain code and interaction secrecy, fostering a seamless interplay with public contracts. Privacy doesn't come at a premium, as Miden's design minimizes network burden for private transactions, making privacy affordable.

Architectural Ingenuity: Actors and Hybrid States

1. Actor-Based Execution: Drawing from the actor model, Polygon Miden assigns each account the role of an actor, communicating asynchronously through messages. This unique approach combines with zero-knowledge proofs, enabling actors to prove state transitions autonomously. Local smart contract execution and privacy mechanisms flourish under this actor-based paradigm.

2. Hybrid State Model: Miden unifies Ethereum and UTXO-based models, offering both on-chain and off-chain accounts. Commitments to off-chain accounts' states are stored on-chain, validating transitions via zero-knowledge proofs. This combination furnishes adaptable transaction modes, creating an ecosystem that thrives on flexibility.

Moving forward with Polygon Miden

Polygon Miden emerges as a catalyst for paradigm shifts in blockchain. Dispelling the notion that transparency equates to verifiability, Miden empowers actors to prove correctness without transparency. By harmonizing Ethereum, Bitcoin, and modern databases with ZK proofs, Miden opens doors to elastic, privacy-oriented rollups optimized for intricate, high-throughput tasks. If you are interested in getting your hands dirty, explore the playground or experiment with a Miden Virtual Machine.

If you are still curious to learn more, stay tuned for more blogs or reach out to us at Web3Relation where we can provide insights and guide you through this exciting world of decentralised innovation!