{"id":530131,"date":"2022-12-22T00:28:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T21:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/"},"modified":"2022-12-22T00:28:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T21:28:02","slug":"zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"# zkEVM could be the endgame for blockchain infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bba47a56b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bba47a56b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/#%E2%80%9D_zkEVM_could_be_the_endgame_for_blockchain_infrastructure_%E2%80%9C\" >&#8221; zkEVM could be the endgame for blockchain infrastructure &#8220;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/#Despite_a_rocky_year_for_the_industry_Ethereum_is_still_as_strong_as_ever\" >Despite a rocky year for the industry, Ethereum is still as strong as ever<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/#Making_Ethereum_work\" >Making Ethereum work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\/#Do_we_need_alternative_layer_1s\" >Do we need alternative layer 1s?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9D_zkEVM_could_be_the_endgame_for_blockchain_infrastructure_%E2%80%9C\"><\/span>&#8221; zkEVM could be the endgame for blockchain infrastructure &#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMDYvMjVjMzNiYzktYzZkNC00YzQ3LTg5YTItMGQyOGYxNjQ1Yjk0LmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-30a6cf80>Very few projects have come close to matching the security and decentralization of the Ethereum network. However, the inherent overhead of maintaining these two critical features has left Ethereum burdened by low throughput and prohibitively high costs. As a result, alternative layer-1 blockchains (L1s) \u2014 which normally sacrifice security and decentralization to provide scale \u2014 have emerged to nip away at Ethereum\u2019s market share.<\/p>\n<p>However, with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-equivalent scaling solutions bringing high throughput and low transaction fees to Ethereum itself, the question is: <em>Do we really need these alternative L1 networks?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Despite_a_rocky_year_for_the_industry_Ethereum_is_still_as_strong_as_ever\"><\/span>Despite a rocky year for the industry, Ethereum is still as strong as ever<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The risks of sacrificing security and decentralization have been largely materialized with alternative L1s this year. These blockchains and their communities have been experiencing downtimes, censorship, large hacks and existential challenges caused by centralized token supply \u2014 i.e., huge portions of tokens held by malicious individuals. In the meantime, the Ethereum ecosystem has had another good year.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, we\u2019ve seen the long-awaited upgrade of the Ethereum blockchain from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake after its September \u201cMerge.\u201d This was important for multiple reasons, including that it led to a massive reduction in the energy usage of the network. It also set the stage for further scaling solutions in the months and years to come.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Post-Merge ETH has become obsolete<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also the fact that Ethereum is still the leading network when it comes to the vast amount of decentralized <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications, platforms and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) deployed on it, acting as the go-to blockchain for all Web3 developers. Essentially, the market hasn\u2019t seen any of these competitors \u2014 often labeled \u201cEthereum killers\u201d \u2014 actually \u201ckill\u201d Ethereum (or even harm it).<\/p>\n<p>That said, it\u2019s understandable why alternatives have proliferated in recent years. As it stands, Ethereum is deeply decentralized and secure, but it is also relatively slow and expensive to use. <\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Making_Ethereum_work\"><\/span>Making Ethereum work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To mitigate the aforementioned challenges without significant tradeoffs, Ethereum has now effectively ceded execution to layer-2 solutions (L2s). Even Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has noted that layer-2 zero-knowledge (ZK) solutions are the future of Ethereum scaling. He has also acknowledged that further Ethereum improvements, such as sharding, will support this vision and make it more powerful. <\/p>\n<p>ZK L2s are able to process a large number of transactions, and automatically generate mathematical proof of the validity of those transactions. That proof then can be submitted to Ethereum and verified by its validators, thus effectively offering the same level of security as Ethereum. To make this advanced <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> even more appealing, these proofs do not have to reveal information about the actual transactions, thus enabling privacy of transactions when required. <\/p>\n<p>ZK L2s have been around for more than a year, but wider adoption has been hindered mainly by suboptimal developer experience. Due to efficiency and complexity constraints, ZK L2s have been using custom execution environments instead of the familiar and widely used Ethereum Virtual Machine. After a lot of hard work and impressive cryptographic and engineering breakthroughs, developers managed to create zkEVM \u2014 an EVM-compatible ZK L2.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Programming languages prevent mainstream DeFi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This advanced technology allows all Ethereum projects to easily port existing smart contracts onto a zkEVM L2 without any modifications to their code, thus removing the last barrier for wide adoption. Until recently, it was believed that full-featured zkEVMs were still three to five years away, but recent developments have considerably compressed that timeline, with the first practical implementation of the technology already being deployed.<\/p>\n<p>This is the key component that Ethereum has been missing to provide greater utility at scale. Decentralized finance services, NFT markets and Web3 gaming are now feasible for regular use and global adoption. Better yet, when the important upcoming Ethereum upgrades get implemented, zkEVMs only stand to operate even more effectively. All of this will further establish Ethereum as the blockchain of choice for all types of decentralized projects.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_we_need_alternative_layer_1s\"><\/span>Do we need alternative layer 1s?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the zkEVMs, there are no longer any barriers with regard to scalability, security, decentralization and developer experience. This then begs a fundamental question: <em>Do we even need other L1 blockchains? <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Ethereum already has the vast majority of Web3 applications built on top of it. All other networks face a massive uphill battle if they hope to ever truly compete with that. Even with a perfect network that addresses all scaling and security issues while staying decentralized, any alternative L1 will still be trying to claw users away from an established solution that already works.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to providing immense scaling possibilities, zkEVMs can also be leveraged to redefine what\u2019s possible on Ethereum as a whole. Thus far, prohibitively high transaction fees have incentivized applications that are either computationally efficient or fee-insensitive, potentially leaving other innovative or important projects on the shelf due to these restrictions. In addition to scaling existing use cases, zkEVMs can breathe new life into these unexplored use cases, thus truly becoming the end<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of Web3 infrastructure.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"background: rgb(239, 239, 239); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 10px;\"><strong>Mihailo Bjelic<\/strong> is the co-founder of Polygon. A graduate of the University of Belgrade, he previously worked as an IT engineer for more than 10 years building technology products and platforms and founded or co-founded three startups.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"post-content__disclaimer\"><em>This article is for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author\u2019s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/zkevm-could-be-the-endgame-for-blockchain-infrastructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8221; zkEVM could be the endgame for blockchain infrastructure &#8220; Very few projects have come close to matching the security and decentralization of the Ethereum network. However, the inherent overhead of maintaining these two critical features has left Ethereum burdened by low throughput and prohibitively high costs. As a result, alternative layer-1 blockchains (L1s) \u2014&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":530132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=90,width=1200\/https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2022-06\/25c33bc9-c6d4-4c47-89a2-0d28f1645b94.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74894,75326,95119,74876,75578,78261,137593,70759,4965],"class_list":["post-530131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-blockchain","tag-ethereum-2-0","tag-layer2","tag-proof-of-stake","tag-proof-of-work","tag-tech-analysis","tag-zk-rollup","tag-tech","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}