Polygon (MATIC), the leading Ethereum scaling solution, unveiled on Monday the introduction of its zero-knowledge (zk) based “Miden”, a scaler designed to enhance the capabilities of the Ethereum chain.
A zero-knowledge rollup is a Layer 2 scaling solution that moves computation and network state off-chain. A rollup records transaction data directly on the Layer 1 chain, specifically on Ethereum. Put simply, a rollup decreases the computational burden on the Layer 1 chain, resulting in reduced transaction time and cost for users.
Polygon’s ZK-rollup Ethereum scaler Miden hits testnet
Polygon, a provider of layer-2 solutions for Ethereum, recently released an alpha version testnet of their new zero-knowledge rollup (ZK-rollup) solution named Miden. This comes as competition in the Ethereum scaling space intensifies.
Polygon announced on May 6th that the Polygon Miden Alpha Testnet zero-knowledge feature was available for developers to start testing. Miden is a ZK-rollup that aims to enhance the functionalities of the Ethereum blockchain. The announcement was codial with “babe, wake up, it’s here: the Polygon Miden Alpha Testnet is live—a zk self-sovereign focused chain ready for pioneers who want to cook.”
The protocol stipulated that the scaler will alleviate the strain on the Ethereum blockchain, enhancing privacy and scalability for users while expanding the chain’s capabilities. As the competition to expand Ethereum becomes more intense, developers can now start testing the zk-rollup.
The several Layer 2 chains, namely Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync, Scroll, and Linea, aim to enhance the scalability of Ethereum.
Rollups provide data verification while maintaining data confidentiality from the rest of the network. They prioritize user privacy and enable the development of proofs for client-side transactions locally. These steps aid in alleviating the strain on the underlying Ethereum blockchain.
Keom Research, a project focused on developing zero-knowledge solutions for decentralized finance (DeFi), is currently conducting tests on Polygon’s Miden platform, as mentioned in a recent tweet on X.
Miden explained – What did you miss out on
The scaler offers client-side proving, allowing users to construct proofs for their own state transitions without revealing the state to the network, as detailed by Polygon. The objective is to reduce the load on the network and enhance privacy and scalability.
By design, the scaler also provides supplementary capabilities, such as private accounts that allow for private tokens and transactions, with only the hash of the account being maintained on the blockchain.
Miden usees parallel transaction execution, allowing for concurrent processing of transactions. This enables it to achieve significantly greater throughput compared to the Ethereum mainnet and mitigate the issue of blockchain node state bloat.
Additional expected notable features comprise of adaptable smart contracts and personalized node scripts, enabling users to compose their own scripts using the Miden virtual machine (VM) and programming languages like Rust.
As per the Miden roadmap, a test network for builders is planned for September. The mainnet launch period is not specified.
Miden has recently joined the market as a direct competitor to StarkWare’s layer-2 scaling network and rollup technology, StarkNet, as well as other options like Matter Labs’ zkSync Era.
Polygon also develops zkEVM, a scaling solution that is functionally comparable to the Ethereum Virtual Machine. This allows for seamless compatibility with the majority of existing smart contracts, tools, and wallets.
How is all this done?
In order to handle all of these tasks, Miden nodes are equipped with distinct modules.
The Tx prover is responsible for executing and providing evidence of transactions, similar to the Miden client.
The Tx aggregator is a tool that combines multiple proofs together in order to decrease the size of the final state proof. This is achieved through the use of recursive proving.
The block producer is responsible for providing the user with the RPC interface and managing transactions in the tx pool. It also maintains the state of Polygon Miden by storing information in three databases: accounts, notes, and nullifiers.
