Episode 54: Digging into recursive zkSNARKs with Coda
Dec 5, 2018
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Izaak Meckler and Evan Shapiro from O(1) Labs discuss recursive zkSNARKs, implementing sophisticated scaling solutions, the account-based database model in Coda, compressing transactions with recursive zkSNARKs, architectural choices for performance, and potential applications of zero knowledge proofs.
Coda is a blockchain protocol using recursive zkSNARKs to eliminate history and achieve a constant size blockchain.
Efficiency and parallelism are key design principles in Coda's architecture, allowing for high throughput and faster proof computation.
Coda follows a trusted setup process similar to Zcash's Sapling ceremony and collaborates with the community to ensure security and trust in the setup.
Deep dives
CODA: A Blockchain Protocol Leveraging Recursive Smarts
CODA is a new cryptocurrency protocol that uses zero knowledge proofs to achieve a constant size blockchain. With this construction, the blockchain remains small and cheap to verify, even as more people use the cryptocurrency. The protocol leverages recursive composition, which allows multiple transactions to be compressed into a single ZK-SNARK proof. The proof generation process is optimized using parallelism, resulting in improved efficiency and higher throughput. The CODA protocol has been implemented and is available for testing on the GitHub repository. Overall, CODA aims to provide a scalable and efficient blockchain solution using recursive smarts and zero knowledge proofs.
Efficiency and Security Considerations in CODA
Efficiency plays a crucial role in CODA's architecture. By using recursive composition in a tree structure, multiple transactions can be compressed into a single ZK-SNARK proof, increasing throughput significantly. The architectural design allows for parallelism in snark generation, reducing the time required for proof computation. While efficiency is important, security is also a major concern. The choice of elliptic curves and the rigorous implementation of secure protocols ensure the reliability and integrity of the CODA blockchain. The project is actively addressing security challenges and collaborating with other experts in the field.
Trusted Setup and Toxic Waste in CODA
CODA, like other projects using ZK-SNARKs, requires a trusted setup process to generate initial parameters. This process involves a coordinated effort among many participants to create the initial toxic waste. CODA aims to follow a similar approach to Zcash's Sapling ceremony, organizing an NPC with multiple participants to ensure the security of the setup. The project is committed to proper disposal of the toxic waste and ongoing collaboration with the wider community to enhance security and trust in the setup process.
Continued Development and Collaboration
CODA is an active project with ongoing development and collaboration efforts. The team encourages community engagement through its open-source GitHub repository, where developers can explore the code and run a CODA node. Additionally, resources such as talks and presentations provide in-depth insights into the architecture and concepts behind CODA. Community members can also join the Discord server to connect with the CODA development team and ask questions. The project aims to further refine its implementation and explore new technologies as they mature to improve efficiency, security, and scalability.
The Future of Recursive Smarts in Blockchain
Recursive smarts, as demonstrated by CODA, offer promising possibilities for blockchain technology. The ability to compress multiple transactions into a single proof allows for more efficient and scalable blockchain solutions. While CODA is currently focused on zero knowledge proofs, future advancements in other proving systems such as STARKs may offer even greater possibilities. While CODA is leading the way in applying recursive smarts in practice, further research and collaboration will likely drive innovation and adoption of this technology in other areas beyond the blockchain space.
In this week's episode, we sit down with Izaak Meckler & Evan Shapiro from O(1) Labs to discuss Coda, a blockchain using recursive composition of zkSNARKs to eliminate history. We discuss recursive zkSNARKs generally, what a recursive zkSNARK construction blockchain would look like, and the challenges in implementing this sophisticated scaling solution.
To find out more about the project and some of the resources mentioned in the episode, please have a look at the links below:
Thank you to our sponsor POA Network - for more information about their ERC20 to ERC20 TokenBridge, check out the POA Network repo: github.com/poanetwork/token-bridge
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