Cryptocurrency’s scalability and privacy is one of the most pressing issues across any blockchain ecosystem — whether that’s Bitcoin, Ethereum, or a DeFi token.
In this article we go over how zkApps solve the industry’s greatest challenges.
What are zkApps?
zkApps are a new type of decentralized application (dapp) that use cryptography to conduct trustless blockchain transactions. Using the power of zk-SNARKs, or zero knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Arguments of Knowledge, zkApps can prove knowledge without needing to expose all pieces of information.
Only the bare minimum of details need to be shared, no more than is absolutely required, to complete the transaction. You have complete control over which data you want to share and under what terms or conditions you want to share it.
Blockchain Scalability Needs Privacy
In today’s digital world we are increasingly concerned about the element of privacy. Many times, more information is exposed than is required for the most simple transactions, with no expectation that the information will be kept safe. In fact, the number of data breaches in the USA alone has totaled over 1,000 consistently every year since 2016 (Statista).
Consider this: how much detail do you share with the bank when you apply for an online loan? Typically, you are required to exchange information such as proof of income, social security number, and credit score without knowing whether or not your personal information would be kept safe.
Mina is specifically addressing the issue of confidence with zkApps, or a SNARK-powered app. In the case of an online loan, zkApps will allow you to keep your credit score and other sensitive details private by only showing that you meet the necessary requirements and not revealing the underlying data.
zkApps are More Scalable and Privacy Centric Dapps
The types of privacy-enabled transactions offered by Mina’s zkApps are not only highly secure and private, but also highly scalable, even in comparison to Ethereum dapps.
As a reminder, in order to check the execution of a dapp, all nodes and miners on the Ethereum network must perform the same calculation, wasting both energy, time, and money. Mina allows a zkApp to be executed only once by its author, after which all other nodes will verify the SNARK proof associated with it.
Additionally, because the SNARK and verification is small in size, verifying the execution of a zkApp is fast and energy-efficient, no matter how complicated the proof is.. As technological improvements drive SNARK proving time down, we’ll see more efficiency improvements with regards to traditional smart contract computations.
How do zkApps solve blockchain's scalability and privacy issues?
With zkApps, computations are run once by a single person rather than the whole network — making it energy efficient, and cost effective.
And finally, with zkApps you won’t be beholden to centralized players anymore. No more handing over your personal data.
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About Mina Protocol
Mina is the world’s lightest blockchain, powered by participants. Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is about 22kb, the size of a couple of tweets. It is the first layer-1 to enable efficient implementation and easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With its unique privacy features and ability to connect to any website, Mina is building a private gateway between the real world and crypto—and the secure, democratic future we all deserve.
