Interpreting zkSync's ZK Stack: Advancing L2 and L3 Together
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Interpreting zkSync's ZK Stack: Advancing L2 and L3 Together
ZK technology unlocks capabilities that are not possible with existing non-ZK solutions.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: zer0kn0wledge.era
Compiled by: TechFlow
With zkSync announcing the launch of ZKStack—a framework tailored for scalable and composable L2s and L3s built on zkSync—we are entering a new era of Ethereum scaling.
ZKStack is a modular, sovereign, and future-proof framework for building zero-knowledge (ZK)-driven chains. It is built upon five core principles:
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Open source;
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Modularity and composability;
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Flexibility;
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Battle-tested security;
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Future-oriented.
Open Source
ZKStack is developed under the MIT/Apache open-source licenses and is free to use. This approach encourages community participation, allowing developers to contribute and modify the framework to meet their unique needs.
Modularity and Composability
A key feature of ZKStack is its modularity and composability. It aims to create Hyperchains—new ZK-driven chains that can seamlessly integrate into a trustless network, enabling ultra-low latency and shared liquidity.
Flexibility
One standout aspect of ZKStack is its flexibility. Developers can customize various aspects of their Hyperchain, from selecting sequencers and defining data availability modes to designing unique token economics.
Battle-Tested Security
Leveraging the mature security of zkSync Era—the most widely adopted ZK rollup on Ethereum today—ZKStack delivers unparalleled reliability.
Future-Oriented
As Ethereum continues to tackle scalability challenges, ZK rollups offer a promising solution. Building ZK-powered L2s and L3s with ZKStack has become exceptionally easy. ZKStack is future-proof, empowering developers to fully unlock the potential of ZK technology.
Layer 3 (L3) refers to rollups built on top of L2s, leveraging zkSync’s recursive PLONK proofs (the ability to prove other proofs) and settling on L2 (verifying proofs).
This creates a recursive structure where the compression benefits of L2 proofs multiply with those of L3 proofs. This exponentially reduces costs while maintaining L1-level security.
ZKStack is built on a perfect balance between sovereignty and seamless connectivity. Developers have full control over their code and unrestricted autonomy to customize every aspect of their Hyperchain.
As mentioned above, Hyperchains built using ZKStack operate independently, drawing only vitality and security from Ethereum L1.
Additionally, the Hyperbridge network facilitates connections between Hyperchains, ensuring fast and low-cost interoperability, forming a seamlessly interconnected network.
The process of moving funds between L1 and L2 is very expensive. In contrast, L2-L3 interactions enable cheaper and simpler interoperability. Since independent L3s will interact via the low-cost L2 rather than the expensive L1, L3-to-L3 interoperability is also extremely cost-effective.
zkSync Era overcomes cross-network liquidity fragmentation, pioneering this hyper-scalable unified liquidity network and setting an example for others to follow.
However, while ZKStack is powerful, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For traditional DeFi dApps or NFT projects, deploying on existing Hyperchains like zkSync may be more efficient and provide synchronous composability with other protocols.
Nevertheless, developers might prefer building their own Hyperchain on ZKStack in two scenarios:
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When developers require customized configurations for their chain;
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When developers prefer operating asynchronously from the broader ecosystem.
But why build on ZKStack?
ZK technology unlocks capabilities impossible with non-ZK solutions. While this enables novel use cases and superior user experience/performance, leveraging these features requires innovation and venturing down uncharted paths. Examples of such unique features include:
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Native account abstraction (AA) ensuring superior UX;
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The succinctness of ZK proofs enabling transaction types (e.g., oracle updates) up to 1,000x cheaper;
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Ultra-low-cost accounts via zkPorter.
How will the L3 scaling narrative evolve in the coming months? After introducing zkStack, will zkSync once again lead the way? Only time will tell.
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