ZK Cryptography & Proof Systems
The math behind zk-SNARKs and zk-STARKs, explained for engineers. Circuits, trusted setups, recursive proofs, and where ZK is actually shipping.
4 lessons · 4 hr · expert
- 1What ZK Actually ProvesCompleteness, soundness, zero-knowledge — explained without symbols first. The history from Goldwasser-Micali-Rackoff to Fiat-Shamir, and what prover and verifier actually do.35 min
- 2SNARKs vs STARKsTrusted setups, post-quantum security, proof size, verification cost. Groth16, PLONK, Halo2, and the StarkWare hash-based lineage from 2018 onward.40 min
- 3Writing a Circuit (Circom / Noir / Cairo)Circom, Noir, and Cairo for ZK circuits. The "thinking in constraints" mental model. zkVMs like RISC0, SP1, Jolt, and Nexus that let you write Rust instead.45 min
- 4Production ZK: Privacy Pools, Identity, RollupsWhere ZK is actually shipping in 2025-2026: privacy pools after Tornado Cash, identity (World ID, Privado), zkBridges (Polyhedra, Succinct), and production zkEVMs.30 min
Educational only — not financial advice.