A Deep Dive into Polygon ZK Rollups

Jay Crypto

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We will take a deep dive into Polygon ZK Rollups along with their working and several other factors. In the end, we will compare these Rollups to the Ethereum Zero-knowledge rollups and see which one is better. Let’s begin with the introduction of these scaling solutions.

What are Polygon ZK Rollups?

Polygon ZK rollups are scalability techniques that combine several off-chain payments into one on-chain payment transfer record. By providing legitimacy proof for each rollup, the Polygon Zero-knowledge rollup technique meets the need for miners on the Ethereum Network to validate transactional data of a single transfer.

The Ethereum blockchain can confidently check the legitimacy of group payments since validity proofs of the ZK rollups are mathematically proven. This boosts the safety of rollups by making network attacks considerably more difficult.

Furthermore, validity proofs allow for the rapid verification of rollup payments on the mainnet network. Users can transfer funds between the rollup and the base blockchain (Ethereum) without encountering any congestion or obstacles.

Polygon network revealed in August 2021 that it plans to allocate a $1 billion investment from the treasury to develop the ZK technology. The firm joined its forces with the Mir Protocol (now known as Polygon Zero) in December 2021 to develop ZK rollup solutions.   

The following four products in the network ecosystem are based on Polygon’s ZK Rollups:

1.Miden

2.Zero

3.Nightfall

4.Hermez

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Let’s look at the above-stated products’ details one by one:

Polygon Zero

Polygon Zero is a solution that was created primarily to lower the processing expense of producing authenticity proofs. While ZK rollups can help with scaling, their capability is constrained due to the time-consuming and expensive credible proof generation procedure.

Polygon Zero addresses this issue by employing "recursive proofs," which are faster than conventional prover techniques. These recursive proofs are generated using Plonky2, a proving method created by the Mir Protocol team.

Nested verification systems operate differently than traditional ZK prover techniques. The concept behind existing initiatives is to create evidence of one group of payment transfer activities at a time.  Unfortunately, this can take a long period.

Polygon Zero employs a distinct technique, creating proofs for each payment transfer in the batch at the same time. The machine then combines several transactional confirmations into a single proof that is sent to the Ethereum blockchain.

Source: Polygon Blog

This approach considerably decreases the labor required to establish trustworthy transactional rollup validity proofs. Plonky2 from Polygon Zero can create repetitive evidence in 0.17 seconds, making it the fastest ZK-proof-generation system available today. Zero-knowledge is compatible with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). 

Polygon Hermez

Polygon Hermez has the primary goal of decentralization, and it is rumored to be the only decentralized ZK rollup running on the Ethereum platform. To achieve decentralization and network security, the Hermez network employs a revolutionary consensus mechanism known as proof of efficiency (PoE). This system is made up of Sequencers and Aggregators, who work together to assure the rollup's operation. Sequencers take transactions and group them into batches, whereas Aggregators construct ZK proofs for submission to Ethereum.

Everyone can be a Sequencer or Aggregator in the PoE ecosystem, and the system has built-in crypto economic rewards to motivate ethical behavior. This shields Polygon Hermez from the centralized issues that afflict ZK rollups, as well as lowering the likelihood of hostile behavior on the system.

polygon Hermez Working

 Polygon Hermez has been in operation since 2021, but utilization has remained moderate. Because Hermez does not support EVMs, its capability is restricted to simple asset exchanges and atomic swaps.

However, Polygon has stated that EVM compatibility would be added to Hermez in the future. The "Hermez 2.0" project will introduce a zero-knowledge EVM (zkEVM) that integrates the present ZK rollup with an EVM solution.

Polygon Miden

Polygon Miden is a broad sense STARK-based ZK rollup that supports EVMs. The Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (STARK) framework is a sort of mathematical evidence that is comparable to the more well-known SNARK system.

Some believe ZK-STARKs are superior to ZK-SNARKs since the former does not require a trustworthy setup and can withstand quantum-computing assaults. The disadvantage of STARKs is that they need bigger proofs, which makes them more costly to utilize. Polygon Miden is a one-of-a-kind EVM-compatible ZK rollup. Other STARK-based ZK rollups, most notably StarkNet, are unable to support Solidity smart contracts, restricting their utility for Ethereum users.

Polygon Miden executes arbitrary logic and smart contracts via the Miden Virtual Machine (VM). Developers can just convert executable code in Solidity or Vyper into Miden Assembly, the language used in the Miden VM to program machine instructions.

Polygon Miden can handle up to 5,000 transactions per block, with fresh blocks generated every 5 seconds. Although this ZK rollup is just a prototype, it is intended to increase capacity to more than 1,000 transactions per second (TPS) upon launch.

Source: Polygon

Polygon Nightfall 

Polygon Nightfall is a corporate rollup solution that was introduced on the Ethereum Network on May 17th, 2022 to simplify private transfer for enterprises. Polygon Technology and the business powerhouse Ernst & Young collaborated on the project.

Polygon Nightfall employs a one-of-a-kind rollup concept that mixes optimistic rollups with zero-knowledge encryption. Using optimistic rollups reduces transaction expenses, while ZK technology safeguards payments against public scrutiny. Polygon Nightfall is a promising application for big enterprises searching for sustainable and secure blockchain transactions.

    Polygon Nightfall Working

The Beta version of the Polygon Nightfall has already been used; the team is working to roll out the fully developed version soon. 

What’s the Difference Between Polygon ZK Rollups and other ZK Rollups?

Following are some of the differences between the Polygon ZK Rollups and other Zk Rollups:

• The conventional ZK Rollups need a lot of energy to create validity proof. However, Polygon ZK Rollups do not require so much computational power which makes them efficient and faster. 
• The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility is another difference. Most traditional ZK Rollups aren’t EVM compatible while Polygon Rollups are EVM compatible. 
• Polygon's zero-knowledge rollup stack is intended to reduce the expenses associated with using Layer-2 solutions. The cost associated with creating validity proofs is less than that of the traditional ZK rollups. 
• Validity proof sizes of the Polygon Rollups are much smaller than validity proofs created by traditional Zk rollups. 

In short, the polygon ZK Rollup solutions are much more optimized and beneficial than traditional rollups. 

What’s the Importance of Polygon Rollups?

Following are some of the factors which make the Polygon ZK rollups important in the ecosystem:

Improved Scalability 

Zero-knowledge rollups are an important aspect of the effort to grow the Ethereum blockchain while maintaining decentralization and integrity. Polygon Zero and Hermez are two ZK-rollups that can increase the transaction capability to thousands of operations per second.

Improved Security

ZK rollups are more secure than other rollup solutions since they are built on data encryption. Unlike Optimistic rollups, which rely on economic incentives or trust assumptions, ZK rollups rely on cryptography assurances to guarantee data security. Polygon ZK rollups publish transaction information on Ethereum, allowing people to depend on Ethereum to execute Layer 2 chain transfers. As a result, ZK rollups are one of the most popular solutions to Ethereum's scaling issues.

Low Transaction Costs

Excessive transaction fees have been a key source of contention for Ethereum investors. Polygon ZK rollups can significantly reduce Ethereum processing fees by moving transactions off the main chain and decongesting the network.

Innovation

The scalability limits of Blockchain can restrict what devs can accomplish. Ethereum devs are likely to discover novel applications and extend into new domains as a result of increased processing power from adopting Polygon ZK rollups.

Conclusion

One of the most acknowledged alternatives to Ethereum's scaling difficulties is zero-knowledge rollups. The potential of scaling Ethereum grows with Polygon's dedication to implementing ZK rollups.

Polygon ZK rollups have the ability to significantly boost Ethereum's processing capacity and increase broad adoption. Alchemy is devoted to growing Ethereum and provides assistance to developers using Polygon. The future of the ZK rollups is promising due to the constant innovation in the ecosystem.