Tag: Starknet

What is Starknet?

As a ZK rollup, Starknet functions as an external execution environment for Ethereum transactions. It aggregates numerous transactions off-chain, i.e. outside of Ethereum, and subsequently posts these condensed batches to Ethereum using zero-knowledge proofs to guarantee validity.

This efficient batching approach enables remarkably low-cost transactions. Additionally, since fees are spread out among all users, Starknet becomes much more affordable as more people use it.

Besides being a ZK rollup, Starknet has other foundational pillars like its native Cairo programming language. Since Starknet isn’t directly compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), smart contracts written for the L2’s execution environment, the Starknet OS, must be written in Cairo instead of Solidity.

However, there are groups currently working on bringing EVM support to Starknet, like Nethermind, which has a team developing a Solidity-to-Cairo transpiler named Warp. This extension will transform Starknet into what Vitalik Buterin calls a Type 4 zkEVM, i.e. a ZK rollup compatible with the EVM that will have better direct compatibility with a range of Ethereum smart contracts.