Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) has been widely recognized by the industry as a solution to expand Ethereum in a more trustless and decentralized way. In the cross-chain industry, it also shows advantages such as no reliance on trust facilities, light on-chain computing, universality, and low latency. In particular, ZKP's advantages in solving the current cross-chain bridge security issues at the trust level are more obvious.
Multichain launches zkRouter
As the leading cross-chain bridge and universal message cross-chain service provider, Multichain has currently connected 81 public chains and has more than 800,000 users. Multichain has achieved great success in products such as Router, anyCall and NFT Router. Today, Multichain launched the next-generation technological innovation product - zkRouter, and released the zkRouter white paper.
As the latest solution, zkRouter uses ZKP technology to securely and efficiently connect multiple blockchain networks and achieve seamless interoperability. This innovation is very practical for cross-chain interoperability because it allows assets and information to be transferred between different blockchains in a trustless, secure and privacy-friendly manner without leaking sensitive information. Currently, most cross-chain bridges still rely on centralized mechanisms to transmit cross-chain information, but ZKP can be used to eliminate this trust requirement, which is the main reason why Multichain uses this mechanism to build a new generation of cross-chain interoperability protocols.
Cross-chain application process based on zkRouter protocol Advantages of zkRouter
The advantages of zkRouter applying ZKP technology to cross-chain interoperability include:
1. No Trust
Cross-chain communication messages are proven by zk-SNARKs, without introducing external trust assumptions. As long as there is an honest node in the relay network, the security of zkRouter cross-chain can be guaranteed, provided that the external public chain and the underlying consensus are secure.
2. Scalability and efficiency
zkRouter allows more dApps to run on it, and its lightweight on-chain computing allows a large number of transactions to run concurrently with low latency to generate proof results. At the same time, lightweight on-chain computing also means less Gas requirements, further reducing user cross-chain fees.
3. Low barriers and decentralization
Node operators on zkRouter can participate in the verification of cross-chain transactions without staking assets. This mechanism makes the setup of zkRouter nodes easier and more efficient, and can further enhance the degree of decentralization.
Enabling cross-chain applications
zkRouter technology uses ZKP technology to synchronize the consensus of the source chain to the target chain, and has no restrictions on scalability. Therefore, the cross-chain interoperability protocol built by zkRouter can be applied to many application scenarios. Developers can use zkRouter, a trustless and universal cross-chain infrastructure, to empower their applications and expand their application functions. At the same time, they can further increase their imagination in the innovative development of the blockchain ecosystem, thereby bringing new application scenarios.
1. Cross-chain assets
Asset cross-chain bridge is one of the most suitable applications for zkRouter and the scenario with the most cross-chain demand. Based on zkRouter, asset cross-chain trustless facilities can greatly reduce the possibility of cross-chain bridge security incidents and eliminate users' concerns about centralized bridges. At the same time, zkRouter has high versatility and is friendly to both running and start-up cross-chain bridge projects, and supports a variety of cross-chain bridge models, such as Mint/Burn, fund pools, or a hybrid model of the two.
2. Trusted Oracle on Chain
zkRouter can reliably pass and store source chain block headers to the target chain, and the information relayed by zkRouter can also be used by other existing dApps. This interaction allows other applications to determine whether a transaction (for example) occurred on the source chain. Different from other off-chain information collection oracles, oracles built on zkRouter are more credible due to the characteristics of zero-knowledge proof results.
3. Multi-chain contract interoperability
zkRouter will provide a technical foundation for multi-chain interoperability for smart contract development, and applications can call multiple chains efficiently and securely. Developers do not have to be limited to the fixed thinking of single-chain development, nor do they have to make trade-offs between the advantages and disadvantages of multiple chains. Developers can easily complete cross-chain contract interoperability calls just like developing contracts on the same chain. Existing applications can further enjoy the business expansion brought by multi-chain interoperability, such as multi-chain issuance of blockchain games, multi-chain lending in the Defi field, etc.
4. Cross-chain Swap
Currently, on-chain Swap applications are limited to a single-chain ecosystem. Although they can be deployed on multiple chains, the assets between different chains are severely fragmented, which limits the upper limit of Swap development. Using zkRouter can effectively solve existing problems and enable cross-chain Swap.
5. Multi-chain issuance of tokens and NFTs
Using zkRouter, tokens and NFTs can be minted and issued easily, and multi-chain deployment can be achieved efficiently. This solves the accessibility and liquidity challenges faced by traditional cross-chain bridges, and further improves the user experience.
zkRouter progress and planning
Multichain has been committed to advancing the development of cross-chain and interoperability. As the release of zkRouter approaches, Multichain is excited to show how it will revolutionize communication and interoperability between blockchains, and is willing to share more information about this groundbreaking technology and witness the new possibilities that zkRouter creates for blockchain.
At present, the Multichain development team has made a demo version and is currently verifying it. At the same time, in order to enable the community to see the actual application of this technology and understand its potential application scenarios, we are also about to launch a related website to explain the concept of zero-knowledge proofs and how zkRouter uses them to provide trustless and secure cross-chain messaging.
In addition, Multichain will also release a business development plan for zkRouter, looking forward to working with projects that share the same vision, whether it is developers who want to build new applications or enterprises that want to streamline operations, zkRouter can help them achieve their goals.
The launch of zkRouter is an important step in the field of cross-chain interoperability and a solid step towards a further decentralized multi-chain universe. Multichain will continue to firmly promote the realization of trustless and decentralized interoperability, and strive to open a new era of decentralized and interoperable blockchain ecosystems.
To read the full zkRouter whitepaper, please follow the link below or join Multichain’s zkRouter Telegram group.