Uncommon Core 2.0
Hasu gets STARK-pilled - with Eli Ben-Sasson (StarkWare)
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Starks enable off-chain computation with on-chain verification, enhancing scalability and inclusive accountability.
- StarkX offers specialized, high-capacity solutions for specific needs, while StarkNet functions as a versatile, general-purpose blockchain platform for diverse applications.
- The Cairo programming language within Starkware simplifies smart contract creation and is crucial for efficient, secure operations on Starknet, emphasizing the need for tailored solutions.
Deep dives
Starks: Enabling Efficient Computation and Scalability
Starks technology compresses extensive computation into small verifiable proofs, facilitating scalability by allowing off-chain computation with on-chain result verification. This approach enhances inclusive accountability and addresses the challenge of scalability on conventional blockchains.
Computational Integrity Ensured by Starks
Starks offer a mechanism to ensure computational integrity by compressing computation and verifying its accuracy. By generating highly efficient proofs, Starks maintain the principle of computational integrity across various applications, improving trust in financial transactions and data integrity.
StarkX vs. StarkNet: The Cloud vs. Big Computer Analogy
StarkX acts as a specialized, high-capacity system for specific business needs, akin to a 'big computer,' ensuring scalability and computational integrity for tailored operations. In contrast, StarkNet resembles the 'cloud' or general-purpose blockchain platform like Ethereum, offering scalability for diverse applications.
Proof Generation and Application Deployment in StarkX and StarkNet
StarkX currently centralizes proof generation, resulting in permissioned deployments for specific use cases. However, StarkNet aims to decentralize the sequencing and proofing processes, transforming it into a more open platform where developers can deploy various applications, resembling Ethereum's versatility with added scalability benefits.
Cairo Programming Language and Starknet Development
The podcast discusses the origins of the Cairo programming language within Starkware. Initially developed to simplify code writing for complex systems, Cairo enabled the efficient creation of the Starknet platform. Starknet allows the writing of smart contracts using the battle-tested Cairo programming language, offering reliability and security. This contrasts with other layer-two solutions like Optimism, emphasizing the need for a tailored approach for efficient and scalable operations.
Enhancing Proving and Verification Processes in Stark Systems
The episode delves into the scalability and cost optimization strategies of Stark systems. It highlights the logarithmically increasing proving time efficiency with scale. Recursion is introduced to parallelize proof generation, boosting scale and latency reduction. Additionally, potential enhancements through newer cryptographic primitives and field size modifications present opportunities for significant performance improvements across the verification and proving processes in Stark systems.
In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Eli Ben-Sasson of Starkware. If you listened to my last episode with Su where we talked about the scaling approaches of different L1s blockchains compared to Ethereum, I argued that L1 blockchains do not scale and that the only way to create true scalability is to perform all of the computation off-chain and only post the results of that computation on-chain. STARKs are a technology that allows huge amounts of computation to be compressed into succinct proofs that anyone can easily verify.
Our goal for this episode was to create the most approachable and comprehensive audio resource on how STARKs work and how they will scale blockchains in the future. We start by explaining inclusive accountability and the true meaning of scalability. Then we dive into STARKs, how proof systems work in general, and where they fit into the context of unbundling blockchains. Next, we use DYDX as a comprehensive case study to learn about the StarkEx system, before diving into StarkNet and its tradeoffs to StarkEx. Finally, we talk about StarkWare’s programming language Cairo and how the different costs of proving, verifying, and storage are going to scale into the future. If you’re a developer, you should also gain a very good idea of the tradeoffs between building on a regular L1 blockchain, the general-purpose StarkNet blockchain, and a StarkEx application-specific chain.
Enjoy!
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
2:03 Eli’s backstory
5:27 What is computational integrity?
14:22 What are STARKs and how do they work?
29:03 How can validity proofs scale blockchains?
34:13 Looking at DYDX + StarkEx as a case study
56:20 What are the differences between StarkNet and StarkEx?
1:02:46 Cairo
1:13:52 What are the different costs for the end-user?
Listen to conversations between Su Zhu, the CEO and CIO of Three Arrows Capital, and Hasu, an experienced crypto researcher and writer. Together with occasional guests, we explore the transformative nature of trust-minimized currency and financial services.
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FOLLOW the guest
- Eli Ben-Sasson https://twitter.com/EliBenSasson
Learn about StarkNet: https://starknet.io/ - Learn about Cairo programming language: https://www.cairo-lang.org/
- Learn about ZK-STARK math: https://starkware.co/stark/
- StarkNet Discord https://discord.gg/uJ9HZTUk2Y
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